Defying Gravity
by Endless Questions
Summary: Daryl Dixon had never thought of himself as a father figure, never thought he was capable of being a father figure. But when he's left a single parent to a newborn baby right after the world ends, he has no choice but to step up and become that man. Parenting was hard enough in the old world, how will he manage in this new one? Strong T for language and violence. DarylxOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so a few things you should know before reading. Daryl is in his 20s in this story, and because he's so much younger he's not really in character with his TV character. I tried to make him that way in the beginning but I just can't pull of his aloof, mean attitude. So he hasn't become quite as cold and hard as his older self from the show. So it's the same story, he's just younger. Because I'm apparently not very good at the Dixon personality Merle is a tiny bit out of character too, but I kind of think that a baby would make both of them act a little different than on the show. If you don't like Daryl being Out of Character at all then this might not be the story for you, but give it a chance.**

**This first chapter is just to see what kind of response I get. I probably won't upload any more chapters until the story is done or almost done so don't expect an update any time really soon. Also, I'm debating on moving away from the show's plotline. I haven't decided if it'll just be small things that change or if I'm going to deviate completely.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 1**

A thin wail echoed through the dark woods, bringing the doe's head straight up as she searched for the source of the sound. Daryl cursed under his breath and shot the bolt from his crossbow quickly before the animal had a chance to flee. With a heavy sigh he made his way through the brush to his kill and proceeded to gut and dress it as quickly as he could without getting sloppy. He knew Merle and April would be awake by now, that wail was proof enough of that, and he knew they would be hungry for fresh meat.

Throwing the doe carcass over his shoulder and holding his crossbow at the ready in case of any unexpected visitors, Daryl made his way back to their small camp. Merle was sitting on top of Daryl's old blue truck, his legs dangling into the bed as he kept watch over their two small tents and campfire. April was nowhere in sight, which Daryl had expected, she rarely left the tent before the sun was fully up.

"Good huntin this mornin, little brother?" Merle asked in greeting, shifting his rifle to his lap when he realized it was Daryl coming through the trees.

"Almost lost this one, all that wailin just about scared her off. How are things here?" he asked gruffly as he set his things down and strung up the deer.

Merle snickered a bit. "That's what you get little brother. It's been quiet here as far as walkers go, but we should probably head out soon, if you heard that cryin then other things probably did too. April is still in her tent, nothin surprisin about that though."

Daryl nodded, chewing on the corner of his thumb in thought. "Well, I don't wanna waste this doe and we can't take it with us. So let's stay until tomorrow mornin if things stay clear. That way we'll eat up some of this meat before it goes bad and we can decide where to go next. I'd like to stay here, haven't seen a walker at all since we set up, even after all that commotion two weeks ago."

It was Merle's turn to nod, but before he could say anything the rustling of a tent flap brought their attention to the smaller of the two tents.

"Daryl, I thought I heard you out here. Oh, you found some food! Good, we're almost out of all the canned stuff we took from our houses." The newcomer, and third member of their little camp, stood up straight from zipping the tent back up and smiled as she looked at the two Dixon brothers. Her clothes were grubby, just like theirs, and she was dirty like them. Long blonde hair was pulled up to the back of her head in a ponytail to keep it off her face and back and her brown eyes looked happy to see him but also dim at the same time. In her arms was a bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. "Here, can you hold him while I go deal with something?" she asked, holding the bundle out to Daryl.

The first time she had done this he had nearly run in the other direction. Now, he was used to it and actually looked forward to when she let him help with this particular task. As he took the bundle from April's arms he couldn't help but smile as he pushed the blanket back a little to look down into the bright-eyed face of his newborn son. A thought occurred to him as he looked at the baby and he snapped his head up quickly, stopping April before she could leave.

"Don't go too far April. You know you'll have your privacy so you don't gotta go a mile into the woods like you did when we first got here," he teased.

April nodded but no smile formed on her pale lips. "I know, I'll be back in a bit. I already gave Keegan his bottle and burped him, so he'll probably need his diaper changed soon." With a tiny smile and another nod, she disappeared into the trees.

Daryl wrinkled his nose at that news and scowled when he heard Merle laughing. "Man, you are so whipped brother. We're Dixons, we don't hold babies or change diapers or any of that woman shit you been doin."

The scowl on his face became darker as he turned to his brother, but he didn't say anything in reply. Nothing he said could make Merle change his mind about that. Merle believed that men were meant to protect and provide for the women and kids, and women were supposed to do everything else. Daryl thought that was close-minded and way too close to their dead father's philosophy to partake in that belief. He was surprised that Merle felt that way, considering the way they had grown up, abused and beaten whenever their father decided to come home. But he also supposed that some people ended up just like their parents, while some took what they'd seen their parents do and ended up completely opposite. Merle would believe what he believed and it was easier on everyone in the group if they just went along with the loud burly man.

Daryl averted his eyes from his brother's and looked back down at the baby. He looked a lot like Daryl, at least that's what April said, he couldn't see it. He had rich, honey blonde hair like his mother and eyes as blue as Daryl's own, but April had said that sometimes babies were born with light eyes that became darker. Daryl had pointed out the hair difference to April but she said that just because the baby's hair was blonde didn't mean that everything else wasn't just like Daryl himself.

A few minutes later April came back out of the trees and headed for her tent, not even sparing a glance for Daryl or Keegan in his arms. Heaving a sigh Daryl shifted the baby and looked around for a blanket and a clear spot to set him down. Merle snorted a bit, leaned over to grab a spare pillow they had in the truck cab, and threw it on top of a blanket in the truck bed. Daryl nodded at him in gratitude before setting the boy down and heading off to get some food cooking for breakfast.

Twenty minutes later, as Daryl was taking the meat off the fire to serve for breakfast he heard Merle make a strange disgusted sound. "Hey woman! Your kid needs it's ass changed!" He hollered toward the tents.

Daryl rolled his eyes but looked up to see if April had heard. He didn't know how she wouldn't, Merle was overly loud when he was whispering, even more so when he yelled. When the tent flap didn't move and he didn't hear anything from inside, he assumed that she must have fallen asleep, tired from the sleepless nights with the baby. She had been acting very strangely ever since Keegan was born. Her mood changed as quickly as the time, but no matter what her mood she always had this underlying sadness about her that he didn't understand.

Standing up straight with the plate of venison in his hand, he headed toward Merle. The older man reached down for it greedily and began shoveling the hot food into his mouth as Daryl headed for April's tent to get the diaper bag. The inside of the tent was a mess, practically everything April had brought and scavenged for herself and the baby was all over the room, as though a tornado had blown through. April herself was lying on a sleeping bag in the middle of the tent, her eyes open and staring up at him.

"Come on Ape, Keegan needs you," he said, bending his knees so he was closer to her level.

She went from unresponsive to explosive in a flash, "he needs a new diaper! I told you that! It's not that hard, do it your damn self Daryl! Grow up and take responsibility for what you've done!" she screamed at him before moving forward a bit and pushing at his chest. "Just go away and leave me alone!"

Daryl just stared at her for a few minutes, completely confused by her behavior. With a derisive snort he shook his head, grabbed the diaper bag, and left the tent, not even bothering to zip it back up. An angry frown marred his face as he stomped over to the truck to tend to the baby.

"Trouble in paradise baby brother?" Merle asked cheekily, throwing the empty plate on the ground beside the truck and leaning back a bit on the roof. "I told you not to get involved with that girl, way too uppity. All they are is trouble, only good for two things, cleanin and….well I don't need to tell you the second," he said looking pointedly down at Keegan, who had begun to fuss.

It didn't take long to take care of the boy and then a little bouncing got him to sleep again so that Daryl could go make some more food for himself and April. She refused to talk to him or even look at the baby until that night after dinner. "Daryl, I can take him for a little while," she said softly as she sat down next to him. Daryl nodded and carefully handed the baby to her. "I also wanted to apologize, for snapping at you. I'm just so tired lately and stressed about…well about everything! I'll try to work on it," she said in that same soft, almost disinterested, voice.

As she began to feed Keegan for the first time since that morning Daryl gave her a look that conveyed that he understood and forgave her. "I'll take Keegan for the night Ape. You need a break and Merle's on watch until early mornin so it'll be okay. You get some rest, if he's hungry durin the night I'll give him a bottle like I did today."

April nodded and her eyes filled with tears of gratitude, "thanks Daryl. I'm so glad that he has you to take care of him, especially now, with these crazy people trying to eat us all."

Two hours later, as Daryl was getting ready to take Keegan and go to bed, he realized that he was out of formula in the diaper bag. Figuring it was better to go now and get more rather than go in later when April would be sleeping, he headed for her tent. "April? I need more formula for Keegan, can I come in?" he said through the tent flap.

When there was no answer he pushed through the open flap to find the tent void of one blonde woman. Frowning in confusion Daryl walked back out of the tent and asked Merle, "hey, you see April?"

"Yeah, she said she had to take a piss, went that way," his brother said pointing in the direction she always went to relieve herself.

"You just let her go? It's dark out man! How long ago did she leave?" he demanded, heading toward his brother quickly.

"Ah, she left about fifteen-twenty minutes ago. And I let her go cus she don't go far and it don't take that long."

Daryl let out a sigh that sounded more like a growl before shifting Keegan in his hands and holding him up to Merle on the truck roof. "Hold on to him until I get back."

"No, no way. I ain't taking care of no baby!" Merle protested, refusing to take the baby from his brother's arms.

"Merle!" Daryl snapped. "I don't have time for this! This kid is your flesh and blood! Blood is everything to you so take him and hold onto him until I get back! You don't have to do anythin to him, just hold him!"

When Merle finally awkwardly took the baby, Daryl whipped around, snatching up his crossbow and loading a bolt before running into the trees to follow April's tracks. The darkness made it a little harder but he kept on until he heard a shuffling sound ahead of him. Breaking into a clearing as quietly as possible, in case it wasn't April he'd found, his breath caught as he looked upon the girl who'd had his baby.

She was sitting in the grass, leaning up against the stump of a fallen tree, one of his hunting knives in one bloody hand and a deep slice across each pale wrist. This sight alone was enough to make his heart beat faster, but what made him yell out and run toward her was the dead walker that's fallen across her legs and the unmistakable bite mark on her left forearm. Turning in a circle as he ran, Daryl made sure no more walkers were in the area before he dropped down on his knees beside her.

"April, what happened?" he asked frantically, knowing there was nothing he could do but still panicking.

"I'm so sorry Daryl. I just…I couldn't handle it anymore. The world now is so hard to live in and I can't stand the thought of running for the rest of my life, having to watch Keegan starve or get eaten by walkers. I know I'm a horrible mother, but this is really what's best for him. He's not safe with me. He'll have you to care for him and love him and teach him. You are a good man Daryl and you will teach our son to be a good man too. Don't let Merle ruin him. Please tell him that I love him and I'm sorry," she whispered hurriedly.

Daryl gritted his teeth against the weak emotions he was feeling. He had known April since they were teenagers, they came from similar lifestyle, they understood each other. She was his best friend, someone he could confide in, not that he did that very often, but she was always there. To see her like this, having given up, bitten and about to die, it hurt him deeply. "I'll take care of him April, I'll treat him the way our fathers never treated us. He'll grow up to be a handsome, great man, because he had you as a mother. I'll tell him about how amazing his mom was and that even when he's sixty-three and sitting in a rocking chair on his porch, his mom will still love him. We'll be alright, even though we'll miss you every day. I love you April."

Tears glimmered in the blonde's eyes as she looked up at Daryl. "I've always loved you Daryl. I'm so sorry for leaving you like this. Please, after I…don't let me turn into one of them," she whispered.

Daryl grabbed both her hands in his and gripped them tightly, never taking his eyes off hers. "Never, you rest now, it'll be over soon."

He'd barely gotten the words out when the weak grip she'd had on his hands went limp and her eyes closed a bit. Dropping his head down against his chest in defeat he let a single tear slip from his eye as he mourned her passing.

Clearing his throat quietly he checked her pulse to be sure she was gone, pulled out his knife and stabbed it into her head behind her ear, so her hair would cover the wound. He used the grass to clean the blade off, took the one beside April's body, and picked her up to take her back to camp. As he walked he thought about what April had said. He had no idea how to take care of this baby, he had no idea how April could think he was a good man that could teach anyone anything about being a good person. Without his mother they would need to find more formula to replace the milk April was producing, and that meant leaving the camp in search of a place that would surely be crawling with the dead.

Merle was standing in the truck bed when he broke through the trees, Keegan nestled against his chest as he moved back and forth to keep the baby from crying. The older man looked up and stopped abruptly when he saw his brother with April's lifeless body come out of the woods.

"What happened to her?" he asked, his voice softer than usual so as not to wake the baby.

"She went off into the woods to slit her wrists, walker found her, bit her. She killed the bastard but the damage was done. We couldn't have saved her anyway. I'm gunna bury her, then we pack up and get ready to leave in the morning. We're gunna need all the baby formula we can find, not to mention we should stock up on our own food. If you could just...lay him down on that blanket and watch him while I'm busy I'd appreciate it," Daryl answered, pausing to talk to his brother before walking to the far side of the clearing.

Merle watched him go, then looked down at the boy in his arms. The kid had woken up while the brothers talked and was staring up at him, a confused look on his face that seemed out of place on a baby. Glancing up again at his brother as he began to dig the grave, Merle smiled a tiny, hidden smile at the baby before shifting him to a more comfortable position in his arms.

**I hope this was good. I'd like to point out that April is supposed to have been suffering from Post-Partum Depression/Psychosis. I know I didn't go into a lot of detail or spend a lot of time on it but I wanted to get the story going more. I have never met anyone who suffered from Post-Partum so everything I know came from internet sources… Hopefully it was okay. Let me know what you liked/didn't like.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so I know I said I wouldn't be posting anything for a good long while but I decided that just one chapter probably isn't enough for you all to decide if it's a good story or not. Hopefully this one will tide you over until I decide to start posting regularly.**** Sorry for any mistakes, and I wanted to say that if their accents aren't strong enough for you you'll just have to imagine it in your head, sorry. **

**Again, my Daryl is not really in character with the show's Daryl. He's younger so I feel like some of the views he would have developed later in life (like in the show) he doesn't necessarily have now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 2**

A week later the two brothers sat in the truck outside the seventh small town store they'd come across since April's death. Keegan was asleep on the seat between them but neither knew how long that would last. They had gotten into the habit of alternating who went into the stores, so that one was always with the baby in case he cried while the other was able to get supplies that they needed. Baby formula was always on the list, and even though they had a good stock right now, they never knew when they would run low so they grabbed it every time they saw it.

"You going in this time or am I?" Merle grunted, tapping his fingers on the wheel as they surveyed the store.

"I'll go, anythin special you want me to grab?" Daryl asked, opening the door slowly to prevent squeaking.

"Smokes if they got them, but nothing else special."

Daryl nodded, grabbing his crossbow and holding it out ready to fire as he moved quickly to the door and inched it open, trying to prevent the bell on the door from chiming as he went in. He went down each aisle, finding only one walker who looked to be an employee of the store, and the remains of a body in a back corner. A quick arrow to the skull took down the walker and he grabbed the body before it could slam into the floor, lowering it slowly to avoid the clatter.

He immediately headed for the baby aisle, slipped the duffle bag off his arm and started packing it with formula, pacifiers, diapers, and all the baby medicine the store had. He had been reading April's baby book when he wasn't busy this last week and it said that babies can get sick a lot and he didn't want to take the chance of not having what they needed. When he'd cleared out all the baby stuff he thought was useful he headed for the food aisles and started grabbing all the canned stuff he could. When the bag was full he brought out the second one and continued his raid on the canned foods. Finally he headed toward the front where the cigarettes were held and grabbed five cartons of Merle's brand, feeling lucky that Merle's taste in cigarettes sucked or there would have been none left.

Scanning the outside of the store to make sure he was clear, he ran to the truck and threw the bags in the back next to Merle's motorcycle.

"I'm gunna go grab some cases of water, be right back," he explained as he turned and ran back to the store. Just as the door closed behind him he heard Keegan start to cry. Cursing under his breath he ran to the cases of water, stacked three on top of each other and thanked his lucky stars that the door opened outward, so he just had to push his way out with the water. He was setting the water in the back when the walkers started to swarm.

"Shit, hurry up Daryl, we gotta get out of here!" Merle shouted. Daryl slipped past a walker that had gotten too close and threw himself into the truck, careful not to crush Keegan, who was still crying because Merle had put him back down when the walkers got close.

"Go!" Daryl yelled as he slammed the door shut behind him. The tires squealed as Merle threw the truck into drive and they sped off. Heaving a relieved sigh, Daryl reached down next to him to pick up the baby, shushing him and bouncing him lightly to get him to stop wailing. "It's okay buddy, it's alright. Settle down now. Here, you hungry? Let's get you a bottle," Daryl coaxed the boy, pulling an already made bottle out of the bag. Almost immediately Keegan's cries stopped and he just stared up at Daryl with those bright blue eyes that hadn't changed at all since his birth. Daryl felt kind of bad that most of his bottles weren't as warm as they should be, but they didn't exactly have any means to give him warm bottles on a regular basis.

When the truck cab was quiet Merle cleared his throat and said, "so where too now baby brother?"

"I don't know Merle. I heard Atlanta was a safe zone, they have some kind of shelter set up or somethin. Even if we don't go there we have to find a place to settle, we can't raise this kid out of this truck forever."

Merle nodded and rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, I suppose we could head toward Atlanta and see what's what. If we don't like how it looks we can always turn around."

Daryl nodded his head up and down once before focusing on Keegan again. The baby was just about asleep, so Daryl replaced the bottle with a pacifier and bounced him a bit to help the process along.

"You know, for someone who ain't ever even held a baby before this one came along, you're pretty good with him," Merle observed when it got too quiet again.

"I kinda had to get good, after April…but I would have done it anyway, because I wanna be a good dad. I don't want to be like our dad, abusin and beatin and neglectin him. I'm gonna do everything the opposite of what he did. You're not too bad with him yourself, Uncle Merle," Daryl teased cheekily.

Merle laughed and tapped the door of the truck by the window. "Yeah, us Dixons are just amazin father figures. Can you imagine what everyone back home would be sayin to see us now?"

Daryl chewed on his thumb, like he did whenever he was nervous or thinking. "You say that like we couldn't be good father figures."

A derisive snort was all Daryl thought he was going to get in answer, but Merle replied, "Dixons aren't meant to be good fathers. That's why there hasn't been one since as far back as I've heard stories. Pop was a bad father, and so was his father, and his father, as long as the line goes. Some things you just can't change boy. Now you can say all you want about bein a good father now, when the kid is tiny and helpless and isn't gonna talk back. But what about when he's seventeen and the dumbest little shit you've ever met? You sayin you won't take your hand or belt to him?"

Daryl glowered at his brother. "No I won't ever beat my son. There are other ways to handle misbehavior. Just because we grew up like that don't mean we have to become people who force it on others. When we were young and Pop was beatin you didn't you ever think 'I would never do this to my kid. I don't even understand what I did wrong?' And most of Pop's problem was the drinkin. I am not turnin out like him Merle, or any other Dixon if that's the case. I'll gladly be the exception to the rule."

"Good luck with that little brother. With our upbringin, I don't see how you _can't_ turn out like him."

"Because I'm not like him, even now. I ain't ever been like him. I've never been like you Merle. Sometimes I think you took after Pop and I took after Momma, and there ain't nothin wrong with that, we're just different people," Daryl whispered, stroking his finger down Keegan's face and silently vowing to never lay a hand on him in anger.

Merle glanced sideways at his brother, silently wondering if they were even really brothers. He knew Daryl wasn't like him, he didn't need the younger man telling him that. He just didn't understand how they could be so different, having come from the same exact lifestyle. Maybe Daryl was right and he was more like their Momma than their Pop, it would explain the personality differences.

Three days later saw them thirty miles outside Atlanta, pulled over at a gas station. Neither of them thought they would find much here but at least there might be some more gas, which they needed, and maybe some cigarettes, which Merle wanted. Daryl had given up smoking, at least around the baby, so he didn't even go looking for them anymore.

"I got this one too," Daryl said. "When I get back we can siphon some gas to get us to the city." He got out of the truck and closed the door without latching it.

The gas station was nearly empty, Daryl could tell that just by walking inside. But he had to do a sweep first before he looked for anything of value. Before he'd gotten very far the door burst open and Merle ran in with Keegan and the diaper bag in his arms.

"There's a bunch of walkers headed this way. They would have found us in the truck!" Merle said in response to Daryl's angry glare before turning to lock the door as a precaution.

"What? There's walkers outside?" came a voice from the back of the store.

Daryl and Merle whipped around toward the voice, Daryl slightly ahead of Merle to protect the baby. "Who's there? Show yourself or deal with an arrow in your face," he growled, crossbow armed and ready.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. I don't mean any harm. I'm just looking for supplies same as you. Is…is that a baby?" the young Asian man who came out from behind the next aisle over asked.

"No, my big ass brother here just likes to carry around life-size dolls. Of course it's a baby ya twit!" Daryl said, still glaring at the man. He didn't look threatening in the least, in fact he looked way too weak and innocent to have even made it alive this long.

Merle looked back through the window and hissed, "alright boys, we're gunna have to save this little chit-chat for later. Those walkers are gettin closer and we need to be quiet and out of sight. You," he said to the Asian man, "there a back room or somethin with no windows and a door that locks from the inside?"

The Asian nodded, "yeah, looks like a store room in the rear. Come on," he said, picking up his dropped bag as he led them to the back of the building.

The room was small, making Daryl wonder what they could have even stored in here. There was barely room for the three to sit without touching each other. And it was pitch dark, until the Asian man turned on a portable, battery operated camping lantern in the middle of the room.

"I think there's an access door to the roof in here too. Well, there's a ladder anyway and I can't imagine it goes anywhere but to the roof," he explained.

Merle went to inspect the ladder, handing Keegan off to Daryl who made some soothing sounds to keep the boy sleeping. "Yeah, I think this goes to the roof," he said, his head tilted back to look up at the door in the ceiling. "Good work Chinaman."

"I'm Korean, and my name's Glenn," the man said, sounding offended.

"Now don't get uppity, don't you know a compliment when you get one boy?" Merle said with a cocky grin. "I'm gunna go up and see how things look outside," he said to Daryl.

Daryl didn't answer, he knew Merle didn't expect one; he just stood near the door, shifting back and forth, trying to make sure Keegan stayed asleep. If he woke up now and was cranky, it could mean game over for all of them. He couldn't help but notice that Glenn was watching him.

"You got a starin problem?" he demanded, not looking up but noticing that he'd made the man jump.

"Sorry, I just…I haven't seen a baby since before the dead started walking. How old is he?" Glenn asked quietly.

"Little less than a month," Daryl responded.

"And his…his mother?" Glenn asked.

Daryl finally looked up at him; his eyes narrowed, but didn't snarl or growl when he said, "she didn't make it, died about a week and a half ago."

Glenn's face fell a fraction, as if he hoped that somehow April was alive but absent from her child's life rather than dead. "I'm sorry. What's his name?"

"Why are you askin all these questions? As soon as those walkers move on we probably won't ever see each other again," Daryl answered, feeling like he'd already told this stranger too much.

Glenn's face brightened now, as if he'd had some sudden idea. "Not necessarily. You could come back to camp with me! We have women and children, and more men to help protect everyone! And we're at a quarry with a lake so we have fresh water all the time!"

Daryl looked up towards where Merle had disappeared. His brother didn't do well in groups, especially if those groups had anyone black, brown, yellow, pretty much any color besides white in it. But he did know that the way things he and Merle were doing them wouldn't work forever. Sometimes they would both need to go into some building but with a baby they would always be separated. Being somewhere with more people to help watch the baby and their backs might be nice.

"I'll talk to my brother, see how he feels about it. We were headed for Atlanta, you don't know how things are there do you?" he asked finally.

Glenn averted his eyes. "I really hope you're not headed there to look for anyone. The whole city is overrun, all there is left is walkers. As far as I can tell, making a 'safe zone' just meant there were even more people in the city to turn when it hit there. You can't go there, you can't take that baby into that city unless you're looking to die."

Daryl looked down at his son's sleeping face. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll give you one in return, my brother…well you heard what he called you. It's not just…Asians that he talks to like that. If we went back with you he would be a very difficult person to live with. I want you to be aware of that before we even consider your offer."

"I figured as much, and the offer still stands. There's no way I could live with myself if I let you leave here with that baby without even offering a place of safety."

They were quiet for a while, waiting for the herd to pass or for Merle to come down and tell them how things looked. Finally, after the silence had stretched for ten awkward minutes, Daryl said, "Daryl Dixon."

"Huh?" Glenn asked. He had sat down against the wall and begun picking at the dirt under his nails while they waited.

"My name, Daryl Dixon. That's my brother Merle up there, and this, this is Keegan," Daryl introduced, sighing when Keegan's eyes opened and he started to squirm. After a few minutes it seemed like he was going to be content with simply looking around, as Daryl had slid down against the wall opposite Glenn and now had the baby partially propped against his chest.

Glenn's face broke into a smile when Keegan let out one of his adorable baby coos. His smile vanished when Merle's feet on the ladder rungs echoed into the room. The large burly man barely glanced at him as he stepped off the ladder to stand near his brother.

"The walkers are headed off. They couldn't get into the buildin and we were quiet enough they didn't hear so they lost interest pretty quick. So I suppose this is where we say goodbye and part ways," he said, directly the last sentence toward Glenn.

Daryl shifted the baby so he could stand and pulled the diaper bag up onto his shoulder. "Actually Merle, Glenn here offered us a place back with his group. They got women and children, men to protect everyone. He also let me know that Atlanta is pretty much walker central, there ain't no point goin there. I want to talk to you about takin the offer."

Merle looked between his brother and the Asian with a distrustful eye. "Could you wait outside for us Glenn?" Merle asked, stressing the man's name in some attempt to prove some point.

Glenn nodded quickly, grabbed his things and left the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

"What are you thinkin Daryl? We don't know this guy from David and you want to take your kid back to his 'group of women, children, and stand up guys'? How can we trust that his group is what he says? Or that Atlanta is too dangerous now?"

"I just have a feelin about him Merle. He ain't a bad guy, he's way too nice, innocent, to be in bed with a bad group of people. And he has no reason to lie about anythin. I think we should go with him, at least check it out," Daryl replied, trying to keep his brother calm.

"I can't believe you're choosin to trust a chink's word over your brother's instincts. We don't need anyone else baby brother. It's always been you and me, just us, alone." Merle was pacing now, clearly fighting to keep his temper in line so he didn't scare Keegan into crying.

"It hasn't ever been you and me until all this mess started. It was always you alone, and me alone. You left as soon as you could, I practically raised myself. I'm not choosin anyone Merle. I'm tryin to do what's best for my son. You know there will be situations where the two of us just won't be able to work out a way to get things done with a baby. With women and more men around we'll be able to do things we can't do now, and Keegan will have people to watch him, maybe women who've had kids and know how to take care of him properly. I wanna do this Merle, I wanna at least go and see if it's an option. Not to go would be bad for all of us."

Merle knew that Daryl wanted this, and he wasn't going to back down this time. It wasn't often that his brother went against him, but he had a feeling it might start happening more now that he had someone to take care of. He also knew that Daryl would go even if he didn't, and if he wanted to stay with his brother he had to go to this magical group of misfit toys.

"Alright little brother. We'll go and check this place out and see if we like it. Let's go let the chink know we're on board."

Daryl wanted to tell him to stop calling Glenn that, to keep his mouth shut about race altogether. Although he had never really been on board with Merle's white supremacy thing, he knew it was easier to act like he agreed about things like that than deal with Merle calling him a pussy for having different beliefs. But he had barely gotten him to agree to come; he didn't want to push him too much right now. With a grateful nod he let Merle push the door open.

Glenn was waiting outside the door with a hopeful look on his face.

"We'll follow you," was all Daryl said before waiting expectantly for Glenn to head out of the store.

**Let me know what you think! I love reviews and it helps keep me on track! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: In order to continue posting while I try to finish this story, I'm hoping to keep the chapters a little smaller. If they're too small, or even too big let me know and I'll see what I can do. Also, please keep in mind that Daryl is in his 20's in this story so he might not act as cynical and cold as he does in the show. Also, this story will deviate a little from the show, the plot should stay relatively the same but there will be some smallish changes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 3**

The Asian man grinned and went to the door, opening it slowly and peeking out to make sure the coast was clear before slipping out and to his little Chevy Cavalier. Daryl and Merle followed, heading quickly for the truck and following Glenn's car back the way they'd come for about a mile before they came to what looked like a gravel access road leading into the woods. The road curved back and forth but moved steadily uphill until they finally came to a somewhat clear area with a good number of vehicles parked.

Glenn got out of the car ahead of them and waited for the two to come up to his side. "Let's not unpack you just yet. We have to talk to Shane, okay it with him first. He hasn't had a problem with any new people I've brought back so far, I think he just likes to feel in charge by saying he has to okay new arrivals. He'll probably be on watch or cleaning his gun," Glenn said, walking forward at a slow but steady pace toward the very top of the hill- a cleared area that had clearly been used as a campsite before the apocalypse too.

The camp sat at the edge of an old quarry that had filled with water enough to be considered a lake, and Daryl would venture to guess that there was even fish in that water. An old RV sat at the edge of the quarry wall, overlooking everything. On top of the RV Daryl saw an old man with a white beard keeping watch with a rifle. From the RV branched several cooking fires and a surprisingly large number of tents. There were women scattered around the camp, sitting around the fires talking, hanging laundry, wandering from tent to tent. Daryl only saw two children, little Mexicans by the look of it; they were sitting by a young woman who was probably their mother.

As they walked further into the camp, a tall muscular man with curly black hair noticed them and came to meet them, his hand on the gun at his hip. "Who's this Glenn?" he asked, his eyes going to the baby in Daryl's arms and then back to the faces of the two men.

"This is Daryl and Merle Dixon, and that adorable baby there is Keegan. I found them, well we found each other at the gas station down the road and I invited them back here. I know you have to okay it but I figured they could help protect the camp and we could help with the baby," Glenn rambled.

Shane looked over the two men again. They both looked grubby and as backwoods as any redneck he'd ever seen. But they did have a baby with them, and clearly they could use the help. "Alright, but you have to help around camp just like the rest of us," he agreed after a minute.

Daryl looked at his brother and then down at Keegan before answering, "that won't be a problem, we'll pull our weight. We'll even do some huntin, supplement the supplies y'all have already."

Now Shane grinned, "well alright, that sounds great. Glad to have you. Why don't you go grab any things you have and pick a spot, then we'll introduce you to everyone."

Merle started back toward the truck right away, but Daryl hesitated, unsure how he was going to grab supplies while still holding Keegan. Shane noticed his uncertainty and looked around quickly. "Molly!" he called. "Can you come here for a minute?"

A young woman with dark brown hair pulled into a bun similar to April's turned her head and jogged over, her shorts and tank top showing off her impressively supple body. Daryl quickly averted his eyes before she could catch him staring at her.

"What's up?" she asked as she came to a stop beside Shane.

"This is Daryl, he needs to go grab his stuff to set up camp but he needs someone to watch the baby. Could you just hold onto him for a little while so Daryl can get settled? If that's alright with you Daryl," he said quickly, looking at the sandy hair man.

Daryl held Keegan a little tighter for a second before finally nodding and holding the baby out to the girl. "He just ate a little bit ago, so he should be quiet for you," he said quietly as Molly carefully settled Keegan into her arms.

She smiled down at the baby before looking back up at Daryl and nodding. "I'll take care of him, he'll be right here for you when you finish up."

Daryl gave her a grateful look before retreating to the truck where Merle was just now slinging a bunch of bags over his shoulders. Daryl grabbed several bags that he was pretty sure were filled with baby stuff and then the two tent bags before following his brother back to the camp area. Merle looked around for a minute before nodding toward an area nearer to the trees and farther from the rest of the campers. Daryl grunted his agreement and set the bags down when they got to their chosen spot. As Merle started back to the truck for more bags, Daryl started setting up his tent. When April was with them he and Merle had shared a tent, but now they could have their own tents, which was a godsend in Daryl's opinion because a crying baby was a million times better than a snoring Merle.

"So where'd you guys come from?" a soft feminine voice said behind Daryl as he was putting the tent poles through the holes.

He glanced up to see the girl, Molly, standing nearby, bouncing Keegan and looking right at him. "Ah, just a small town some while north of here. Don't expect you've heard of it. You ever take care of a baby before?" he asked wanting to know if he'd done right by letting this woman hold his kid.

Molly smiled down at Keegan, "yeah. My um… neighbor… had a baby a few years ago and I babysat sometimes. But most of my experience is from the day care I worked at part time. We took care of babies all the time, that's actually the only area I worked in because I was so good with them. Although I have to admit, we never had a baby this young with us. Usually the mothers waited a few months before sending their babies to day care."

Daryl nodded, intrigued that there was someone who had experience with many different types of babies. He did notice that she sounded kind of off, like the topic was touchy for her and hard for her to talk about. "Well, his mother didn't have much choice. She got bit about a week ago." He didn't really know why he didn't tell her that April had been committing suicide at the time of her bite, but for some reason he felt it wasn't the business of any of the people here.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I lost all my family before this happened, my dad to cancer and my mom in an accident. So I know how it is to have lost everyone," she replied quietly. There was that tone of voice again, that made him think she was holding something back. But it wasn't like it was his business to know anything about her, let alone her family history.

"What do you mean? He ain't lost everyone! He has me and his uncle to take care of him; he ain't some helpless, orphan kid that got left behind by his parents!" Daryl snapped indignantly.

Molly's eyes widened a little, "I…I didn't realize he was your baby. I'm sorry. I just assumed that you were all traveling together and when his mom died you just stepped up…"

Daryl snorted derisively. "Well he is mine so don't go thinkin you can just up and adopt him because he's got no parents."

Merle came back before Molly could say whatever she clearly wanted to. "Hey Sugar, don't think we've met," he said cockily.

"I'm Molly, Molly Sinclair. You're Daryl's brother?" she asked, shifting her feet uncomfortably.

"Sure am Sugar, name's Merle. I see you've met Daryl and Keegan there. You got kids?" he asked as he set down the last of the bags from the truck.

Molly shook her head, "no. I'm still pretty young and was too busy going to school to become a teacher to have a relationship that would turn into…well this. But I do love kids," she said looking down at Keegan with an expression that Daryl could only compare to sadness.

Merle grinned. "Teacher huh? Detention?" he asked.

"Merle!" Daryl snapped, frowning at his brother, but Molly just laughed.

"No, I'm going to school to be a history teacher. My interest is in ancient civilizations but I have branched a bit so I can teach other areas in case my major doesn't bear very good job opportunities."

"Well damn Sugar, you are way too fine to be teachin anythin, let alone history!" Merle exclaimed.

Daryl felt his face getting red in embarrassment of his brother's behavior. "Merle, you wanna get started on your tent while I start goin through our bags? I figured we could just add our food to the rest of camp's and just keep the things we need."

Merle stared at Molly for a few more seconds then nodded, "sure thing little brother."

Once Daryl had sorted out all the canned food they'd collected on their way and then set aside all the baby formula, which was in much greater stock than the canned stuff, he grabbed one duffel bag to throw all the food into to give to the camp.

"That's a lot of formula," Molly observed.

"Yeah, well we didn't want to chance runnin out and not findin more, so every time we stopped we grabbed all we could," Daryl explained, putting as much formula in a second bag as he could before putting the last of it in a third.

Finally he was done and stood up straight to stretch his back, unknowingly giving Molly a great view of his flexing arm and shoulder muscles. As she was admiring his undeniably good looking physique, the baby in her arms began to squirm. Looking down, the first thing she saw were the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen as they looked back up at her. A tiny arm wiggled out of the blanket to grab some of her hair that had fallen from its bun and she smiled down at him.

"I guess nap time is over," Daryl said, walking toward Molly and Keegan, his crossbow back over his shoulder as an ever-present precaution and the diaper bag near his feet. Molly looked back up at him, still smiling, and felt her breath catch a bit when she realized that Keegan had most definitely inherited his father's eyes.

"Yeah, I think he might be hot though. It would probably be alright to take him out of that blanket for a while," she said quietly, casting her eyes down as she moved the baby back into his father's arms.

Daryl nodded and carefully maneuvered the blanket out from around the baby and threw it inside his tent before looking around for Merle. "You done setting up that tent yet Merle? We should get this food to that Shane guy and let him introduce us to people," Daryl said, reaching down for the diaper bag. Before he could reach it, Molly leaned down and grabbed it, giving him a reassuring smile.

Merle appeared from inside his tent and gave Molly another cocky grin as he straightened up. "Alright little brother let's go meet the neighbors."

**This is much shorter than I had planned it to be and not very much happens, but you do get to meet Molly, so that might make up for the shortness. I have a link on my profile that shows what I picture Molly looking like. Review and let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I wasn't going to update so soon, especially since it's only been a day, but I figured instead of just doing an author note with my questions I should give you all a chapter as well. **

**Anyway, my question is your opinion on whether I should finish the story after the CDC and do a sequel like the show does or if I should just keep on going instead? It matters because I'm almost done with where season 1 ended and so I could be updating pretty regular, but if I should go on then it might be a while for updates… **

**Also, if you are a fan of Lori I don't think you'll really enjoy this story, so you might want to save yourself the time and stop reading now. **

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 4**

The threesome walked back toward the main cleared area near the RV where most of the interaction between campers seemed to take place. Shane was standing next to a fire talking to a skinny brunette woman when they arrived.

Daryl was about to announce their presence when Keegan let out another of his baby sounds that always made him smile. The sound clearly alerted pretty much everyone in the camp that someone new had joined them; a baby coo was a very distinctive sound. The brunette talking to Shane looked around for the sound and her eyes widened when she saw the baby in Daryl's arms, propped up slightly against his arm.

"Ah, I was just telling Lori about you!" Shane said loudly.

"Oh he is so cute!" the woman, Daryl could only assume she was Lori, said in a strange, annoying voice as she walked forward beside Shane. The pair stopped in front of them and Daryl couldn't help but feel self-conscious with all these people staring at them. "I'm Lori Grimes, and this is my son Carl," she said as a brown haired boy about twelve years old ran up to her side.

"Merle Dixon, this is my brother Daryl, and the lady killer there is Keegan," Merle introduced, reaching out to shake Lori's hand.

Lori's smile seemed a little half-hearted to Daryl, she probably just saw them as a couple of backwards hillbillies unfit to even hold a baby, let alone raise one. "Can, can I hold him?" she asked excitedly.

Daryl was about to shoot her down but Shane spoke up, "come on Lori, don't bombard them right away, they just got here. Let's introduce them to everyone else before we make them feel uncomfortable."

"Too late," Daryl muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, causing them to laugh. He hadn't exactly meant it to be funny but a part of him – the one that didn't want to start off bad with these people – was glad they took it that way.

Shane chuckled and continued, "anyway, this is T-Dog and Jacqui," he said indicating the only two black people in the group. "This is Jim and that's Dale, the owner of the RV. And these lovely ladies are Andrea and her sister Amy," he introduced a man in a baseball hat, the old man from the top of the RV and then two blonde girls who looked like each other fifteen years apart. "Then this is Morales and his wife Miranda and their kids Eliza and Louis. And last but not least are Ed and Carol Peletier and their daughter Sophia."

Daryl and Merle nodded as each was introduced to them. "Seems like a good…diverse group of people we got here," Merle said cheerfully.

Daryl groaned quietly and focused his attention on Keegan, holding on tighter as the baby started kicking his feet. Molly cleared her throat from beside him and spoke up, "don't forget that bag of food."

"Right. Shane, this is a bag of canned stuff that we've grabbed along our way. We figured we should add it to whatever food you already had…" Daryl offered, gesturing to Merle to hand over the bag.

"It's much appreciated," Shane said, taking the bag and looking through it. "We're running pretty low on food with so many people here."

"I'll go out huntin in the mornin if you want. Probably find a deer or somethin that'll tide us over for a few days."

"Oh that would be great!" Lori exclaimed. "We haven't had fresh meat since all this began!"

Daryl felt his face grow hot as he shifted uncomfortably but he nodded to let them know he would head out in the morning.

"So just a couple rules about camp…." Daryl stopped listening as Shane went about telling him and Merle all the common sense rules these people apparently needed to be told. Keegan started squirming in his arms and let out a whimper that he'd come to know as a precursor to a cry.

Since Keegan had just woken up and eaten a little while ago, Daryl knew that it was time for a diaper change. He looked around for a place to lay the baby while he changed him and finally settled on the only picnic table at the site. Trying to ignore all the eyes following his every move, Daryl changed the diaper and picked Keegan back up. A single deadly glare was enough to get just about everyone to go on about their business, all except Molly. She stuck around by Merle until Daryl walked back over.

"I would give you the tour, but you've pretty much seen it all. We could go down to the quarry though, you could both do with a bath," she said cheerfully.

Daryl frowned at her and said, "don't you got anythin else to do besides hang around us?"

Molly shrugged her shoulders, "no, not really. And to be honest you both look like fish out of water and I'm trying to help you out, if you don't want me here just tell me."

"Ah no Sugar, why would we want you to go anywhere? You'll have to excuse my brother, he ain't really good with social situations. You're right, we do need to clean up, and I'm sure Daryl would appreciate you bein there to hold Keegan while we bathe. Ain't that right baby brother?" Merle said in that voice that Daryl knew meant he'd better do as Merle wanted, or else.

"I'd be glad to hold the baby for you, you know, if you want me to!" Molly could hardly contain her enthusiasm. She loved babies and this might be the last baby she ever got to hold, she was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Daryl let out an annoyed growl, "fine, let us grab some shit and we'll go down to the lake. Here, hold him until we're done."

Molly smiled happily, one of the few times she had since long before this all started, as she took the baby from Daryl. Daryl could hear her talking to Keegan softly in that way only women seemed able to as he grabbed clothes from his tent.

Once the two brothers had grabbed a fresh set of clothes each, and a new onsie for Keegan, they let Molly lead the way down the road, the baby still nestled contentedly in her arms.

"So who thought of the name Keegan? It's not very common, take that from someone who used to deal with countless children all day long," Molly asked to fill the silence as they walked.

Daryl almost didn't answer. This girl was way too nosey for his liking and she kept bringing up April, even though she didn't know it. "His mom picked the name. She was part Irish or somethin and Keegan's an Irish name I guess. Plus, I ain't no good at names an' shit."

"Well I think she chose well," Molly offered before they lapsed into silence once more.

The lake itself was surprisingly clean considering it was a body of water that didn't seem to have an inlet or an outlet. Daryl looked around and couldn't help but think that these people really did have a pretty good set up. Four of the women they'd met earlier were off to their right washing clothes while the four children in the camp played in the water a few feet from them.

"Over here is our 'bathing area'," Molly said, leading them off to the left where a copse of trees blocked the view from the rest of the lake and the women washing clothes. Daryl could see the appeal but he could also see how this could possibly be a weak spot for walkers to come upon someone unawares.

"Uh, could you take him somewhere else while we do this?" Daryl asked awkwardly.

"Aw come on brother! Let the lady stay!" Merle jeered, already taking his shirt off and unbuckling his pants.

"Merle!" Daryl snarled before looking back at Molly. "Please take him and go?"

Molly nodded, her face red from more than the sun's rays. "I'll just go, um, talk to the girls. Just come on over when you're done and then I'll show you how to give him a bath."

A nod of appreciation was Daryl's only response before Molly practically ran the other way, Merle's laughter echoing behind her.

"You're a real ass Merle," Daryl said before stripping and getting to the water.

"I didn't mean no harm little brother, and she knew I wasn't bein serious. Oh, you sweet on her? Moved on already?"

"Shut up," Daryl muttered before diving under the water.

Molly slowed her steps once she was a little ways from the Dixon brothers, knowing that if she slipped on the rocks and dropped Keegan, Daryl was likely to kill her. Lori, Carol, Jacqui, and Miranda were all washing laundry at the lake's edge so Molly made her way over to them.

"How did you manage that?" Lori asked, standing up and coming toward Molly to see the baby.

Molly smiled and shrugged, "I don't know actually, I guess I'm just the first person Shane saw so he asked me to help out. He is just about the most perfect baby I've ever seen," she cooed.

"He sure does have some gorgeous little eyes," Lori agreed with a laugh. "It's hard to believe that that redneck hillbilly could make something so perfect."

Molly frowned at the older woman and tightened her hold on the baby a little. "That's kind of rude Lori. You don't know anything about those two men, nothing at all. And to just…I didn't know we were in high school, calling each other names and shit. I thought you had some class, I guess first impressions can be wrong."

Lori had the decency to look slightly ashamed, but recovered quick enough to let her emotions shift to angry and defensive. "Oh like you know them any better Molly! You've known them the same amount of time that the rest of us have, so you can't stand there and tell me that they aren't rednecks. Just look at them!" Lori's voice was rising in her angry defense of her ill-chosen words.

"I have looked at them! And I've talked to them! More than anyone else here has except maybe Glenn! They're just like us Lori, survivors of this damn apocalypse. Sure they might be from the country but these two 'redneck, backwoods, country bumbkins' probably just prevented your son from starving with the food they brought with them. And they offered to go hunting for all of us, out in the woods that could be infested with dead corpses just aching to sink their teeth into their necks. I don't care what you say, there is no excuse for what you just called them. I'll bet your husband would be ashamed," Molly taunted. She knew she had probably crossed the line bringing Lori's dead husband into this, but she couldn't believe this woman's behavior toward these men who had offered to help them freely.

She knew for sure that she'd crossed the line when she felt the left side of her face explode in pain as Lori slapped her. She stumbled back a pace before quickly regaining her center of gravity, her hold on Keegan never wavering. Lori was standing very close to her now, her chest heaving as she tried to control her emotions.

"If you ever mention my husband like that again I will make you regret it," Lori hissed in her face.

"Lori!" Carol gasped, finally getting to her feet beside Miranda and Jacqui. Molly didn't miss the fact that none of them had come to her defense, or helped her defend the Dixon brothers. She huffed a bit and turned away from them, trying desperately to push her tears down. Her cheek was still stinging and all she wanted to do was cradle it in her hand and let her tears fall, but she couldn't, she was still holding Keegan, and he was more important than her feelings. She couldn't believe that she'd thought these women were her friends, especially Miranda who was close to her in age.

"Molly," Miranda's voice said from right behind her. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly.

Molly didn't turn around, didn't nod or shake her head, didn't do anything. If she responded, no matter what response she gave, she would break down, and she couldn't do that in front of all these people. She took a deep breath and pushed the tears away for the moment. "Um, um, could you do me a favor? Take him please, and just tell Daryl I'm sorry, something came up," she said, turning around slowly, not looking at Miranda.

"Of course. I'm sorry for not standing up for you Molly, I should have. It just happened so fast," she said in that same quiet voice.

Molly just nodded before carefully handing the baby to the young Mexican mother. As soon as the baby was safely in the other woman's arms Molly fled up the road toward camp, not stopping until she got to her tent and threw herself onto the sleeping bag that was her bed and holding her hand to her red, throbbing face, her tears falling freely down her face now.

**Please let me know what you think! And give me some feedback about whether to finish this as a multi-part series or just one long story… There are so many stories on there that do it either way and I can't decide which way to go with it..**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, I've decided to do separate stories for each season so that I can update for everyone. That also means that after the first story is done it might be a while before the second one comes out, since I might not have very much do it written yet. I haven't decided how often I'll update either, probably just whenever I feel like it. But it'll never be longer than a week between updates I don't think. **

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 5**

Daryl felt a million times better after cleaning the weeks of grim off his body. He swept his wet hair back off his face and looked around to make sure he had everything that he had brought down with him. "You ready to head back Merle?" he asked.

"Yup, I'm all set," the older Dixon said, having just gathered up the last of his dirty clothes.

"Alright, let's go get my kid before those vultures steal him," Daryl said, anxious to see his son again. But when they came around the trees toward the laundry washing station he didn't see Molly with the women. Instead of the pretty brunette who was always asking questions, he saw the Mexican woman holding his son casually in her arms.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, stomping up to the women and thrusting his arms out for his baby. The Mexican lady quickly handed him over, offering a small apologetic smile.

"Molly…um, something came up and she had to go back to camp, but she didn't want you to worry about the baby so she left him with me. He was in good hands though, after all I have two children myself, and he was a perfect gentleman."

"That ain't the point," he growled. "I trusted that woman with my kid, and she just hands him off like he's a pet or somethin!"

Miranda shook her head and said, "it wasn't like that!" but Daryl was already walking away, up the road, ready to give that girl a piece of his mind.

"Whoa baby brother, calm down. The kid's fine, no harm no foul. Let's just leave it, maybe this means that girl will stop hangin around you like a cat in heat," Merle said, catching up to Daryl as they walked.

Daryl wanted to throw something, shout, shoot something even. He wanted to be allowed to be pissed about this. But he knew that it would only make things more difficult for him and his brother to fit in with these people. Heaving a huge sigh to get his rage under control, he nodded his head and slowed his pace a bit. "Yeah, no harm no foul. Let's just get back to camp so we can have some time away from all these fucking people."

Merle frowned at his brother's attitude. Sure he wasn't too happy about that brown woman touching his kin, but it's not like a walker was walkin around with the kid, it could have been a lot worse. He had an idea that it had something to do with this Molly girl, but didn't want to bring it up and risk pushing his brother toward the girl. He firmly believed that women should never been considered man's equal, and his brother had already made that mistake once with his baby momma, he wouldn't let him do it again.

When they got up to camp they saw Morales up on the RV keeping watch while Dale, Jim, and Glenn did something to the front of the old motor home. Shane was stirring one of the fires, the bag of canned food Daryl had given him sitting beside him.

"I see Molly showed you the lake," he observed, pausing in his fire-keeping duties to talk.

Daryl just glared at him and kept walking toward his tent. Merle stopped walking and turned to Shane. "Sorry bout him, that girl Molly, had the kid while we were washin, said she would hold him til we were done but when we went to get him she'd handed him off to that other young one…um Miranda?" he said, trying to play nice. "Well Daryl is pretty protective of the kid, so he wasn't very happy about that."

Shane frowned in confusion. He had seen Molly come running up the hill but had been busy with something else so hadn't had time to stop her before she'd gotten to her tent, and then it had slipped his mind. Maybe Lori would know what was wrong, he would have to ask her. "Well I'm sorry about that, she's not usually like that, I'll find out what happened," he promised.

Merle shrugged, "aw it ain't nothin. Don't go to no trouble about it."

"Alright," Shane agreed, even though he had every intention of finding out what was going on. If there was some kind of problem within the group he needed to know, they couldn't afford to have disagreements causing strife between members. They had bigger problems to deal with these days.

As soon as Merle started on his way Shane looked around for Lori before remembering that she was on laundry duty today. "Hey Morales, I'm heading down to the quarry, keep a double eye out while I'm gone," he said to the man on watch, who nodded in return.

The four laundry women of the day were far too quiet when he made it down to them, much more quiet than it usually was when he check on the laundry group. "Hey ladies, how's it going today?" he said pleasantly.

"Hi Shane, can we help you with something?" Lori asked with a smile.

"I hope so. Daryl and Merle just got back to camp and Daryl looked pretty pissed about something. Merle said something about Molly handing the baby off to Miranda and just…leaving or something. Anyone know what happened?" he asked, giving them his best 'cop' voice.

Lori stared down each of the other women, she knew that if Shane knew how she had acted he would be mad and disappointed, neither of which was a reaction that she wanted from him. But apparently Miranda's loyalty was directed more toward the younger brunette because after a moment she frowned at Lori and spoke up.

"Well Molly brought the baby over here while Daryl and Merle bathed and Lori called them redneck hillbillies and Molly thought that was really rude and uncalled for, so she said something about it. But…well she brought up how Lori's husband would be disappointed and Lori slapped Molly in the face. Then she threatened to make Molly regret it if she ever brought up her husband again. She just kind of handed me the baby and ran up to camp, she looked like she was going to cry."

The whole world seemed to be waiting for Shane's response to Miranda's story. The wind stopped blowing, the birds went quiet, even the lake's waves seemed to become muted as the women waited to see Shane's reaction. He turned his eyes to Lori in confusion. "What is wrong with you Lori? Molly is probably the sweetest person in this camp, probably the nicest person I've ever met, and you hit her and threaten her because you said something rude and she called you on it? She's right, Rick would be disappointed in you, he would be mortified at your behavior! And don't even think about hitting me woman! You will apologize to Molly or there will be consequences. We can't afford to be divided, especially now when there are so few of us left."

Lori glared at Shane. "How dare you say anything about Rick! He would not be disappointed, he would agree with me!"

Shane scoffed at Lori's delusion, "you and I both know he would never agree with looking down on someone because of their upbringing or behavior, and he definitely wouldn't agree with violence. Just apologize Lori, and we can all put this behind us."

"Fine," Lori snarled, grabbing up her laundry basket and lugging it up the hill. She threw it down near the clothes lines and headed for Molly's tent. The flaps were zipped up and no sound was coming from the small structure but Lori tapped on the flap anyway, the camp's equivalent of knocking since actually knocking wouldn't really work on canvas tents. "Molly? Can I come in?" she called in her best 'I-want-to-be-friends' voice.

There was no reply from inside so Lori looked around to see if the young woman was somewhere else in camp. She didn't see the girl's distinctive messy bun so she knew Molly was still in the tent but refusing to talk to her. Lori shrugged her shoulders, she didn't think she was in the wrong and didn't care if she ever apologized to the privileged brat. She'd just have to tell Shane that she'd done it.

That night the group chose their meals from the bag of food stuffs Daryl and Merle had brought with them and everyone toasted to them in thanks for feeding them another day. Molly still had not come from her tent, an absence noticed by everyone – Molly was one of the more vocal camp members, and without her the conversation was very sporadic. Daryl personally noticed her absence because all day long she had hung around him and his brother, practically begging to hold Keegan and always asking questions, and now he had Keegan propped partially up in between his legs so the baby could look around a little while he ate.

"Has anyone talked to Molly since she came back from the quarry earlier?" Dale asked, always the worrier.

"I tried to talk to her when I came up with the laundry, but she never answered," Lori said haughtily. "As far as I know she hasn't come out since she went in."

Daryl's brows furrowed in confusion. That seemed mighty strange to him. He wondered what could have happened to cause her to isolate herself like that, something big if it had also made her leave his son with a stranger. But then again, wasn't she a stranger to him too? For some reason she didn't feel like a stranger, not like the rest of these people did. Maybe it was the way she had practically rammed her way into his life for the duration of the day, he didn't know for sure. The only other woman who had ever held his attention like that was April, and he'd known her since they'd been in diapers.

"Maybe I should try talking to her?" Miranda asked, setting her empty plate down and starting to get to her feet.

"No," Lori said quickly. "I think we should just give her some time, if she wanted to talk about it I think she would have come to someone by now."

There was no more talk about Molly, or anything for that matter. After a few minutes everyone dispersed to their separate tents, leaving just Daryl, Merle, Shane, and Dale at the fire. "Well we should probably all head in, Dale you got first watch?" Shane asked.

"Of course," Dale said with a smile.

Once the old man had climbed to the top of his RV and Shane had headed off to the tent set up next to the uppity brunette's, Daryl and Merle got to their feet. The camp was almost silent, everyone either already sleeping or choosing to keep quiet, as the brothers walked toward their tents set off to the side of everyone else's.

"Merle, I'm goin hunting in the morning, could you stay here with the kid?" Daryl asked hesitantly, he knew how Merle felt about 'women work'.

"Why can't one of these women do that? Wouldn't we do better if we were both out there huntin?" Merle asked, not yet sounding offended, mostly just curious.

Daryl looked down at his sleeping son and felt his heart clench a bit. "You saw what happened when we left him with someone from this group today, and that was for half an hour Merle. We would be gone for hours, maybe all day. I'd feel more comfortable and be able to hunt better if I knew he was in the hands of someone who wasn't going to hand him off to the first person they see. I would just stay with him and let you go but you know I'm a better hunter and tracker, so it would be stupid to waste both of our time."

"Alright Darylina, I'll watch the kid, but you better be real quick and get back here fast as you can."

Daryl let out a sigh of relief and nodded, "I won't stay out any longer than I have to, trust me on that. Come on, let's get some sleep so we can get up early, I'll be bringing him to you when I leave, so it'll be early."

Merle groaned but smiled, "I'll probably be awake anyway, do what you gotta."

**I feel like not a lot happened in this chapter. If you felt that way too I'm sorry. A note on Daryl's mind-set: His kid's mom just died and he knows that he's the only one responsible for Keegan's safety. The one time he takes a chance on someone taking care of him, it falls through. Yeah the baby was safe, but what if he hadn't been? Hopefully this clears up any confusion you might have to his reaction. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter! I know it might seem a little rushed but I couldn't find a good place to stop and I didn't want to draw things out even longer in other spots. Hope it's alright!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 6**

The next morning Daryl walked out of his tent to see the first rays of the sun coming over the trees. He stretched a bit before reaching back into the tent to get Keegan, who was awake and happy. It was rare for the baby to be unhappy, or difficult, and he almost never cried. He held the boy in one arm as he walked toward the closest fire, grabbing a stick to stir the embers up a bit and throwing a small log onto them before sitting down cross legged beside it. He laid Keegan in his lap and let the boy kick and play with his feet while he stared into the flames, thinking.

"Daryl?" said a familiar voice hesitantly beside him. He frowned and looked up at Molly as she stood there waiting for acknowledgement.

"What?" he said shortly, looking back at the fire.

"Can I sit?"

Daryl shrugged, "It ain't like I could stop you if you really wanted to do it."

He sensed more than saw the young brunette sit down beside him. "I wanted to say, I'm really sorry for yesterday. Something came up and I knew Miranda would take care of Keegan. I know I should have waited for you and let you know, but I…I didn't have time," she whispered.

Daryl forced himself not to make a rude sound that would surely run her off. "You're right, you should have waited for me. I trusted you with my kid woman! You said you would hold on to him, take care of him, and the first chance you get you hand him off!"

"It wasn't like that," she said quietly, her lower lip trembling. "I didn't just hand him off! But the state I was in, it was better for him to be with Miranda than me. I swear Daryl, if I thought I could do my job with him I would have never let him go."

Daryl finally looked over at her, examining her face and trying his hardest to avoid looking into her eyes that were swimming with tears. Something else caught his attention though and he reached up quickly to take her chin in his hand. "What happened to your face?" he demanded.

A dark bruise had formed where Lori had slapped her yesterday and it was still raw and tender whenever Molly forgot about it and touched her face. She couldn't help the way her heart fluttered when Daryl touched her but she pulled from his grasp before she could do something stupid. "Nothing, I…I must have do it in my sleep or something," she lied.

"I know what caused that bruise, girl. Which one of these low life guys hit you?" he demanded.

"None of them!" Molly said quickly, bringing her hand up to cover the bruise, hoping that would calm Daryl a little, but she accidently pressed her hand against it and winced, which seemed to just stir the man up more. "I swear Daryl, none of the men here did this to me. It's not important and not why I came to talk to you. I came to apologize, I have, and that's all there is to it."

Daryl's jaw clenched as he held back an angry retort. He knew it wasn't his place to be in her business. If she didn't want to tell him who had hit her, because someone had definitely hit her, then he couldn't make her. "Fine, I don't give a shit, you ain't my problem. I gotta go hunt now or all you people will starve," Daryl said dismissively, standing up carefully with Keegan.

Molly scrambled to her feet beside him and wiped off the back of her jeans. "I could watch him for you, while you're gone," she said hopefully.

As soon as she said it, all Daryl's anger at her for abandoning Keegan yesterday came rushing back and he turned on her, "no god damn it! Why would I leave my kid with someone like you? I made that mistake once, not again!" he yelled in her face.

The tears that Molly thought were under control burst through the dam finally and trickled down her cheeks. Biting her lower lip silently Molly nodded her head and looked down at her feet. Glancing back at Daryl through her tears one last time, she turned and walked away toward her tent.

Daryl heaved a sigh and looked toward the sky. Maybe Merle was right and women were nothing but trouble. Shaking it off, he headed for Merle's tent, not bothering to knock once he got there. Merle was just beginning to stir when he pushed the flap open and the older man groaned when Daryl set the baby down on the blanket beside him.

"He's been fed and changed already. You know what to do if he cries…I'll be back soon if I can help it so you won't be stuck with him long hopefully," he said shortly.

Merle nodded and shooed him away before placing his hand lightly on the baby's stomach and closing his eyes to dose a bit longer. Daryl smirked a bit before gathering the few supplies he might need for the hunt and headed out.

Two weeks later the Dixon brothers were fully integrated into the camp. They still kept to themselves as much as possible but they pitched in when they were needed and hunted when food ran low. Daryl hadn't spoken to Molly since her apology two weeks before, and he noticed that she seemed to have withdrawn into herself quite a bit since then. The only people he ever saw her have any real conversations with were Dale and the two blonde sisters, mostly the younger one, and sometimes the Mexican woman with the kids. He often saw her and Amy doing various chores together, and while he noticed that they held lengthy discussions he never once saw Molly smile or laugh.

The camp had grown since they joined, but neither brother bothered to even learn the names of the new people. Glenn left every few days to scavenge, sometimes to places close to camp, but more often into Atlanta. Daryl would never admit it, but he kind of respected the young man. He always went alone, always came back with everything he could carry, and never expected anything in return. Keegan was about a month and a half old by then and was still the most well behaved baby Daryl could have asked for considering the circumstances.

"Daryl, Merle, you wanna join us?" Shane called from the center camp. A few times a week Shane got everyone together for a 'meeting' to talk about camp business.

Daryl and Merle were the last two members of the group to arrive to the meeting, Keegan settled comfortably against Daryl's chest. He glanced around until his eyes fell on Molly, who was looking slightly thinner than she was before, though they all were a little, and she quickly diverted her eyes when she noticed that he saw her looking at him.

"As we all know, Glenn has been doing a great job getting supplies for us in Atlanta. But, he's only one man; he can't grab as much as a group of people could. I talked to him, and he's agreed to take a group into the city with him to scavenge. This is where I ask for volunteers," Shane said, all diplomatic like.

After a few seconds hesitation T-Dog stepped up, followed by the black woman, the Mexican dad, and the older blonde woman. Shane nodded his appreciation before looking around again. "Any of you know how to shoot? I know it's a bad idea with so many walkers around but I'm sure we'd all feel better if someone had a gun and could shoot it in case something happens."

The volunteers all looked at each other and shook their heads. Daryl sighed and rolled his eyes. Merle chuckled a bit, knowing what his brother was thinking. "I know how to shoot a gun boss man. I'll go with this sorry lookin bunch," Merle offered.

Daryl bit his tongue to hold in his reservations about that idea. He knew what his brother was like, it was even worse when he was using. Daryl knew for a fact he was using again because Merle had been ecstatic when he'd found a stash he'd forgotten about in the saddlebags of his motorcycle. The whole thing just seemed like a really bad idea to him.

Shane smiled and nodded, "alright, you head out at first light."

With that the group dispersed. Molly almost immediately turned and headed toward her tent and Daryl had this unexplainable urge to follow her and talk to her, but he stomped down on it hard and turned away. They were almost out of food, again, so he had to head out to hunt as soon as he could. But with Merle leaving in the morning he'd have to find someone to watch Keegan while they were both gone. Molly was the obvious choice, but he'd said that he wouldn't let her watch him again, and he didn't want to give in. Heaving a sigh after having a mental battle with himself and realizing that he would have to give in, he headed toward her tent.

The flap was closed but not zipped and he kicked the dirt to announce his presence. "Hey, Molly?" he said, feeling more uncomfortable now than he had been when he'd first held his son. He heard rustling from inside but the brunette didn't come out or answer. "Molly, you gunna come out or what?"

The rustling started again and she crawled to the tent opening, pushing the flap back and looking up at him with emotionless eyes. "What do you want Daryl? I thought you'd said everything you wanted to last time we talked," she said in a voice that matched her eyes.

"I'm goin hunting in the morning, and Merle is goin to Atlanta. I need someone to watch Keegan while we're gone. Would…would you be willin?" he asked, forcing himself to keep his eyes on her face instead of the ground.

"I don't know about that Daryl. It probably wouldn't be a good idea, he wouldn't be safe with me," she replied in that same voice, crawling all the way out of the tent to stand in front of him with her arms crossed across her chest.

"You and I both know that ain't true. You took good care of him when we first got here, and I don't know what happened that day to get you to hand him off like that, but I know it wasn't easy for you. I mighta overreacted a bit. Let's just keep the past behind us and see about movin forward huh?"

Molly finally let a small smile quirk her lips and she nodded, her eyes finally showing some emotion as she looked at Keegan. "Can, can I hold him?" she asked softly.

Daryl smirked a bit and held the baby out to her. She took him quickly and smiled down at him, sniffling a little as she reached up with one hand to wipe a tear from her cheek. "Thank you Daryl, for giving me a second chance."

"Ain't no thing. I'm thinkin about headin out real early in the morning, can I bring him to you that early? It might be before dawn."

"Oh that would be fine, I don't really sleep much anymore so I'm usually up before the sun anyway," Molly said, looking back up at Daryl with a smile.

"Alright. Well, I got some things to discuss with Merle, you wanna just bring him back when he starts fussin or somethin?" Daryl asked.

"Sure, we'll be over in a while," Molly offered, taking the diaper bag from Daryl and setting it just inside her tent opening.

Daryl nodded and gave her a ghost of a smile before heading back to his and Merle's camp to have a talk with the older man.

"What was that?" he demanded when he was close enough to Merle for the rest of camp not to overhear.

"What you talkin about little brother?" Merle asked, looking up from the small bag he was packing to take with him to the city tomorrow.

"Why did you volunteer to go into the city? You don't like any of the people here, so you can't tell me it's to help protect them. Now what is the reason you're going with them tomorrow?" Daryl demanded again, his voice getting gravelly and harsh as his anger rose.

"It ain't none of your concern boy! Just cus we're blood don't mean you gotta know my business and it sure as hell don't mean I gotta stand here and take any crap from you! You let me worry bout my shit and you just keep on hunting for these people and watchin that little brat of yours," Merle snarled, his words spoken with such force that spit flew from Merle's mouth and hit Daryl in the face.

If he hadn't had proof before that Merle was using again, this was all the proof Daryl needed. His brother was always a jackass, but he never acted like this unless he was using. He talked to other people like that, but not Daryl. The simple fact that his brother was high and would still be high on the run tomorrow turned his blood cold. Merle wasn't just endangering his own life with his senses addled, his mood swings and the things the drugs did to him endangered all the people that were going with him, people that didn't deserve to be handicapped by this.

Daryl backed down, his eyes downcast, and nodded, "alright, just don't come cryin to me when you get your stupid ass killed Merle. You remember that I tried to help you, reap what you fuckin sow _brother_."

Merle snorted derisively and went back to packing his bag, completely ignoring Daryl for the rest of the day. Daryl in turn sat himself down on a log by their fire and started working on some more bolts for his crossbow. They wouldn't be the quality of the store bought ones but they would work just as well by the time he was done with them. He could hear Merle grumbling to himself throughout the day but didn't once try to talk to him after their argument. After a while he sat up straight and stretched his arms up above his head to pull the kinks out of his back. As he did this he noticed Molly come out of her tent with Keegan and head toward him.

"Hey, how is he?" Daryl asked as Molly sat down on the log beside him. Keegan was sleeping again, Daryl couldn't believe how much the kid slept, and his pacifier moved each time the baby sucked on it.

"He's been a perfect gentleman all day. He ate a little while after you dropped him off and then I changed him and we laid in my tent looking at our feet for a while. It was an eventful day," Molly said cheerfully.

Daryl shook his head in amusement, "sounds like it. Let's hope he's still in a good mood tomorrow."

**Okay, so some people who reviewed wanted Lori's misdeed to be exposed and reacted to. Well that's not the way it happened when I first wrote it so sorry if that's what you wanted. I wanted to mention that Molly's state of mind is a little whacked right now. She went to all the trouble to defend Daryl and Merle and then didn't get any back up from women who were supposed to be her friends. And then Lori slapped her and now she's feeling really embarrassed and inadequate. Plus there are some other things that haven't been revealed yet that effect how she acts. Any other questions just review and let me know and I'll either answer as best I can or let you know that it'll be told later in the story. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here's chapter 7! Sorry if there are any mistakes. I want to send out a HUGE thank you to everyone who has added me and this story to their alerts and favorites, and an even bigger thank you to those who've reviewed! You really make my day! I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 7**

The next day went off without a hitch. The scavenging group headed out to Atlanta just as Daryl was heading into the woods to hunt. He didn't find anything for a while, not that he was surprised considering all the noise the camp members made all the time. As he moved further into the woods the wildlife became more abundant. It didn't take long to collect about a dozen squirrels, but even that many of the rodents wouldn't feed the camp very well. So he stayed out looking for bigger prey. Finally he found what he was looking for, deer track heading off to his left. Grinning at his luck, Daryl set off to find the owner of the tracks. A deer would definitely feed the camp well and he had noticed that almost everyone in the camp looked thinner than when he'd met them.

It became obvious quickly that this deer didn't want to die, because he tracked it for miles, eventually having to call it a day and accept sleeping in the woods so he could pick up the trial in the morning. Finally, after spending all morning following its prints and blood droplets, he found the carcass. He hadn't planned to stay out so late but he couldn't pass up the promise of so much meat. He just hoped that Molly was okay with dealing with his son overnight. What he wasn't expecting was the party that awaited him when he came upon his kill. As he looked around at all the people standing around his deer he realized that a walker had gotten to it, wasting all the hours he had spent trying to bring it down.

He could admit to himself later that he flew off the handle a bit at having lost his catch to the dead man that lay beside it, but he knew that despite his anger there was nothing he could do about it now, so he headed toward the camp, calling for Merle.

"Daryl, wait up a sec," Shane said as Daryl headed off to skin and gut the squirrels he'd managed to get. He could see Molly standing near her tent holding Keegan, biting her lower lip. "There was a problem in Atlanta."

Daryl felt his blood go cold again as he turned to look at the former policeman. "He dead?"

Shane squinted at him a bit before replying. "We're not sure."

"What's that mean? He either is or he ain't," Daryl replied, feeling his temper rise.

"You know your brother is a difficult man, you know he doesn't work or play well with other people," Shane said. "Well…" he didn't get a chance to finish before a man that Daryl had never seen before stepped forward.

"Your brother was a danger to the group. He attacked us, so I handcuffed him to a piece of metal on the roof of the building we were in. He's still there."

"And who the hell are you?" Daryl snarled.

"Rick Grimes."

"_Rick Grimes_? You're tellin me you left my brother handcuffed on a roof in a city infested with dead people that wanna rip his flesh from his bones?" Daryl snarled again, feeling the rage and fear building to a dangerous level.

"Yes. It wasn't our intention, we meant to get him when we got our getaway vehicle, but…" the new guy looked over at T-Dog who was looking at the pair argue. Finally the black man stepped forward.

"I had the key, I dropped it," he said simply.

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl demanded, beginning to pace back and forth to control his urge to punch these people.

"I dropped it in a drain. But I chained the door to the roof shut. There ain't nothing, walkers included, getting to him with that door chained shut," T-Dog hurried to explain.

Daryl could feel his emotions taking over and before he could stop himself he had launched his string of squirrels at the new guy and dove toward him. It didn't take long for them to subdue him, a fact that he resented greatly, and it was only when Shane had him in a choke hold that he calmed down a little.

When Shane finally let him go, he jumped to his feet and began pacing again. "Fuck all y'all. Just tell me where he is so I can go get him," he demanded, hating the choked feeling in his throat that made his words sound so weak when they came out of his mouth.

"He'll show you," Lori said scornfully from the sidelines.

Rick nodded, looking right at Daryl as he spoke, "I'm going back. It doesn't matter if he forced my hand, what happened was wrong and I plan to right it." Then he shifted his eyes to Glenn, who just stared at him for a moment before realization came over his face.

"Come on man!" He exclaimed.

"You know the way Glenn, and you said yourself that you can get in and out fast. That's what we need here. I'm asking for your help," Rick said beseechingly.

Glenn sighed and nodded before wandering off toward his tent. T-Dog stepped up too and told them that he was going with them.

"This is a bad idea Rick! Taking four men away from camp like this is a bad idea. That's four men that won't be here to defend us! You wanna risk all of the people here, the women and children, for Merle Dixon?" Shane demanded angrily.

Rick considered for a second before nodding, "it's the right thing to do Shane. I don't expect you to understand or agree, but I have to do this, for more reasons than one."

Daryl tuned out their little lover's spat at that point. All that mattered was that they were going back for Merle and he was going to be alright. Molly was standing almost directly behind him when he turned away from the confrontation.

"I have a bad feeling about this Daryl," she said quietly, bouncing Keegan a bit as if to give her hands something to do.

Daryl glared at her, "I can't just leave my brother on that roof. Everythin will be fine. Sorry, by the way, about…you know, not comin back last night."

Molly shrugged, "I was a little worried but I knew you'd be okay and you must have found something to hold your attention like that. And Keegan was just fine last night."

"I hate to ask…" Daryl trailed off.

"Don't worry about it; I'll watch him until you get back from the city. You just come back safe," she said with a smile.

Daryl nodded and looked down at his son. Keegan was staring back at him, his blue eyes matching his father's perfectly. A smile slipped onto Daryl's face and he took Keegan from Molly's arms. He could feel eyes on him as he interacted with his son and felt a blush rising up his neck at the attention. Finally he gave the baby back to Molly and turned around again. The new guy, Rick, was watching them with some expression that Daryl couldn't quite place.

"Let's go," Daryl grunted, grabbing his crossbow and heading for the white cube van that hadn't been there before. Glenn was already waiting by the door and Daryl climbed up into the back and started to pace again. Eventually Rick and T-Dog made their way to the van and the foursome headed off to rescue Merle.

Molly watched them until she couldn't see the van anymore and then heaved a sigh. The bad feeling she'd told Daryl about had only intensified when the van disappeared and she gripped Keegan more tightly in trepidation.

"Hey Molly!" Miranda called, snapping Molly out of her thoughts. "Why don't you and the baby come over here and help with laundry?" Molly might have taken offense if Miranda's tone made it seem like she was ordering her around, but she knew that Miranda just wanted time to talk to her while doing chores. The young brunette wandered over toward the Mexican woman and Jacqui but her steps faltered when she noticed that Lori was sitting not far away. Clenching her jaw a bit she raised her chin, unashamed of herself, and walked the rest of the way over to the clothes lines. Choosing a nice grassy area in the shade, she put down a blanket and set Keegan down so her hands were free.

"So what is up with you and Daryl?" Miranda asked as they continued to pull dry clothes from the line, fold them, and put up wet ones.

"What are you talking about? There's nothing 'up' with me and Daryl. I just watch Keegan for him while he's gone," Molly replied, trying desperately to hide the blush that appeared on her face.

"That's not what it looks like," Jacqui said with a grin while Miranda nodded in agreement. "You're the only one who he talks to, besides the other men when he has to. And you're the only one besides his brother that he's let hold that baby. Don't you think that's odd?"

Molly shrugged, "he's not very social and he's protective of his son. You might have noticed that he didn't talk to me for two weeks, after the quarry incident," she glared at Lori as she said this. "He's just now beginning to talk to me again and that was only because both him and Merle were going to be gone and he needed a babysitter. He just trusts me more than the rest of you I guess."

"Uhuh," Miranda said with a giggle. "It really doesn't seem as innocent as you make it sound. What do you think of him? I haven't ever actually talked to him or his brother except for when he was yelling at me for holding his kid."

"Well I barely know him better than you. He's quiet, when he's not pissed about something anyway. He's actually really…cautious? When he's talking to me at least, like he's unused to talking to women and isn't sure if he's gunna say something wrong. He's obviously super protective of Keegan, even though to look at him you would never think he'd even have a kid. I like him, I think he's a great asset to the group and I know he appreciates having so many people to watch out for the baby."

Lori snorted from where she'd been listening in on their conversation. "If he appreciates us so much then why doesn't he act like it? Why is he always yelling at people or threatening them or outright ignoring them? I think he's about as useless as that brother of his, and he's gunna get my husband killed for it."

Molly bit the inside of her cheek, trying to prevent a replay of the last time she had stood up to Lori, but she could feel the anger bubbling up her throat, trying to force its way out. Before she could speak though, Miranda spoke up.

"How can you say he's useless when the reason that your son gets fed every day is because he goes out into the woods all alone to bring back food for the rest of us? Sure, he might not have the best social skills, but that doesn't mean that he's not valued by the rest of us. My husband tells him every time he comes back how grateful we are that he risks his life to feed our children. And he has never once complained about having to go out and try to feed so many people when almost everyone else is as ungrateful as you are. Maybe next time he goes hunting he shouldn't bring back enough for you and your son. Maybe then you'll learn to appreciate what an asset he is to us," Miranda said with a glare.

Molly could feel the shocked expression on her face, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in surprise. Miranda never spoke out against anyone on her own, she never raised her voice, and here she was sticking up for a man whose only words to her had been spoken in anger.

"I don't have to explain myself to any of you! I just don't like that those two rednecks walk around camp like they own it but don't contribute anything except some meat every few days," Lori snapped, getting to her feet in a huff.

"That's more than half the men in this group contribute," Molly snarled back. "I mean, it's mostly us women who do the majority of work. And you're one to talk! I almost never see you doing _anything_ of importance. You're either chasing after your son because he doesn't listen to you or you're off doing god knows what with Shane! When's the last time you came down and did laundry? Or helped with the dishes that we use for meals every day? I am so sick of you thinking you're top bitch because you're screwing around with Shane! You might think that makes you hot shit but it really just makes you a slut that cheated on her husband."

Lori's face turned bright red and her lips pulled back in an angry expression Molly couldn't name. The older brunette stormed toward the younger and raised her hand to slap her again. Molly was ready this time, and right before the woman's hand connected with her face, she grabbed her wrist and wrenched it down and behind her back.

"If you ever try to hit me again, I will personally find a way to make you regret the day you were born," Molly whispered savagely in Lori's ear. "This is my only warning Lori, you surprised me last time and I let it go, I won't do it again." To prove her point, she gave a sharp pull on Lori's wrist that was twisted behind her back and the other woman hissed as her shoulder protested the movement.

Molly flung the offending arm away from her and turned back to her work, completely ignoring the other women there while she struggled to get her emotions under control. She'd never threatened anyone like that before, had never felt the need. But she wasn't going to let that woman hit and harass her like that. Lori left immediately after the confrontation, probably to whine about her mistreatment to Shane.

"You alright?" Miranda asked quietly, finally breaking the silence.

Molly nodded, "yeah, I just hate that woman and her high and mighty attitude. Thank you, for sticking up for Daryl and his brother."

"No need to thank me, really. I meant everything I said. If it wasn't for Daryl my children would be starving right now, and the fact that Lori doesn't seem to realize that really bothers me."

"Pssshhh, Lori _does_ see that. It's because everything we said is true that she got so mad. She knows she owes her son life to those two 'rednecks' and that's what bugs her. She doesn't want to owe them anything, thinks that owing them is beneath her. I don't care, I've said my piece to her and hopefully that'll be the last time she spouts off that shit and I have to talk to her," Molly said with an almost sad smile.

They had just finished the laundry, which had taken all day, when Keegan began to cry. Molly tried everything to make him stop, she fed him, changed him, rocked him…nothing helped. "I'm going to take him to my tent, see if I can get him to calm down there," she told Miranda.

"I'll come get you when dinner is done. It looks like Andrea and Amy got a bunch of fish so we'll be eating good tonight."

Molly nodded and retreated to her tent with the crying baby, trying to soothe him into being quiet. She gave him his pacifier as she laid down with him on her sleeping bag and rubbed his belly, singing him the nursery rhymes her mother used to sing to her. Finally he became quiet, his eyes closing as he fell asleep. Molly sighed in relief and laid her head down beside him. A few hours later she heard Miranda's voice telling her it was time for dinner. She rolled out of the tent with Keegan and went to sit beside Amy at the fire.

The fish was delicious and there was so much extra that everyone had seconds, thirds if they wanted. It was one of the few nights that they had been able to not worry about every single thing in their lives.

"Where are you going?" Andrea asked as Amy got to her feet.

"I have to pee, is that a problem?" Amy asked in return.

"Wait," Nicole said, standing up as quickly as she could while holding the baby. "I have to go too, I'll just come with. Buddy system remember?" she said with a wink.

Amy smirked and led the way to the RV. She let Molly do her business first, holding Keegan while the brunette was in the bathroom. "There's no toilet paper left," Molly said as she came out of the room, "I just used the last of it, and there was almost none even for me."

"Ugh," Amy growled throwing her head back in exasperation.

Molly smiled and led the trio out of the RV. "Hey! There's no toilet paper in there?" Amy demanded from the doorway of the mobile home.

Andrea looked up at them and her face filled with horror, "Amy!" she shrieked.

**Well Molly finally stood up for herself, I hope you liked the Lori/Molly confrontation. As you probably have realized by now, I try to stay with the story line (at least for now) but I don't just copy the dialogue and actions from the show. I find those stories to be repetitive and eventually boring so I'm trying to mix it up a little. Let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: WARNING-Andrea fans will not like this chapter, so be prepared for that. Any spelling or grammar mistakes are mine and I apologize in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 8**

The younger blonde girl frowned and looked around just in time to see a walker not a foot away from her and headed her way. Letting out a loud gasp, the blonde looked toward Molly but realized she was too far away to get into the RV before the walker came. She stumbled back into the large vehicle and slammed the door shut, locking it for good measure.

Molly had seen the walker right as Amy did and her eyes went wide in fear. She felt her breath coming faster as panic took over and she looked around frantically as the walker that had almost gotten Amy moved on toward her and Keegan. Screams were erupting all over camp as people became besieged by the walking dead. All the noise from the people and the guns going off startled Keegan and he began wailing in fright. Molly tried to shush him as she searched frantically for a place to go. There were walkers everywhere and that first one was getting closer.

Suddenly Molly looked behind her at the RV and realized that if she moved fast she could get her and Keegan underneath it, maybe to the other side where there wasn't enough room for walkers to come around to that side. She practically dove for the gap beneath the RV and shimmied as fast as she could while holding a baby. She'd almost gotten all the way under and turned parallel with the vehicle when she felt a hand wrap around her shoe. Heart beating wildly, she started kicking, screaming in fear, knowing that one scratch on her ankle would mean her death. Keegan was still wailing, fat tears streaming down his cheeks and mixing with those falling from Molly's eyes. Finally making a decision, Molly let go of the baby, setting him down right in front of her so she could twist onto her back and get some leverage to try to kick the walker off her shoe.

She looked down to see the man's ugly, half eaten decaying face snarling back at her as he tried to drag himself further under the RV toward her.

Meanwhile, down the hill from camp, Daryl, Rick, T-Dog, and Glenn heard the screams break out and the rapid gunfire. Daryl felt the blood go cold in his body as one sound caught and held his attention. His son was up there, wailing, and he wasn't there to protect him, he had no idea if his son was safe. Daryl let out a desperate sound and raced forward, ignoring the fact that they had just run all the way from Atlanta. He could hear Rick and the others trying to catch up to him but his fear gave him wings as he ran for the campsite.

"Molly! Keegan!" He screamed when he'd finally broken into the overrun camp that looked more like a massacre. There were walkers everywhere, eating campers, trying to eat others. Daryl aimed his gun at the closest one and blew its head open. "Molly!" he screamed again when she hadn't answered. He could hear Keegan wailing still but with all the other noise he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

He could see the younger blonde, Amy, had somehow gotten into the RV and was waving her arms on the other side of the open window. "Daryl!" she yelled. She said something else but with all the guns going off near him, Daryl couldn't hear her.

She must have realized he couldn't hear because she stopped trying to talk and pointed down. His eyes followed her finger and he saw three walkers all trying to get underneath the RV and he knew that's where his son was. He ran forward, grabbed an axe from a nearby stump to use in placement of his empty gun and smashed the first one in the head. The second he didn't get as good a hit on and ended up taking its head clean off. He knew it wasn't an immediate threat and turned to the last one for now. This one was halfway underneath the RV, trying to drag itself further. Daryl grabbed its legs and pulled it backwards before quickly taking up the axe again. Just as it turned over to come after him, he slammed the axe into its head, the blade slashing through to the brain diagonally across its rotting face.

He looked around quickly to make sure there were no more walkers coming toward him and noticed that the newcomers had been able to clear up all the walkers, all that was left was the crying of survivors and piles of dead walkers and new corpses. It took five seconds for him to take all this in before he was on his stomach peering under the RV. Molly was there, her legs curled up to her body as she lay on her side, Keegan in her arms still crying. Daryl heaved a sigh of relief even though he hadn't had a chance to look either of them over yet.

Molly jumped when she saw him appear but relaxed a little when she realized it was him. "Daryl," she sobbed in relief.

Daryl grinned at her and held out his hands, beckoning for her to come out. "Come on, it's all clear now," he said softly.

Molly turned her body so she was facing the right way and let him help her out from under the RV. Daryl pulled her the last couple inches and she fell into his arms, still cradling Keegan against her chest. Molly made no attempt to move from his lap where she'd landed, she just shifted her arms so Keegan was safely in one, wrapped the other around Daryl's back, holding his vest in a vice-like grip, and sobbed against him.

"Are you alright? Were you bit? Scratched?" Daryl asked, rubbing her back, trying to calm her down a bit.

Molly shook her head against his neck, "I don't think so. I never felt them scratch me anyway. And they didn't get close to Keegan, I wouldn't let them. He's safe," she mumbled.

Daryl tightened his arms around the girl and let her cry. He could hear other cries too, ones that didn't belong to Molly or Keegan. Looking around in interest, his eyes landed on the two blondes of the group. Andrea was lying on her back on the ground looking up at her sister with tears streaming from her eyes. Amy was knelt down beside her, holding her hand tightly, sobbing. Daryl frowned in confusion before his eyes zeroed in on Andrea's shoulder. A chunk of flesh was missing right below where the shoulder met the neck and he knew that she had been bitten and probably wouldn't last the night.

After about twenty minutes, Molly finally shifted and pushed herself away from Daryl a little bit so they could look at each other. Her face was still wet from her tears, and her eyes were still a little watery with leftovers, but she wasn't full out crying anymore and was even smiling a tiny bit as she looked at him. Keegan must have worn himself out with all his crying because he was asleep fitfully in Molly's arms, letting out a whimper every once in a while.

"Thank you," Molly whispered, "thank you so much for saving us."

Daryl smirked a bit, "I should be thankin you woman, you had no obligation to protect my son, you're just babysittin him. If you hadn't…I have no doubt he would be…." Daryl couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't bear thinking about what would have happened if Molly hadn't protected Keegan like she had.

"I would have given my life for his," Molly whispered, looking down at the sleeping baby. "It's the least I could do," she said so quietly that he was sure she hadn't meant for him to hear it.

"I don't wanna to upset you even more, but if you wanna say goodbye to Andrea, you should probably do it now," Daryl said softly, trying to tell her nicely that Andrea hadn't made it unscathed through the attack.

Molly looked around her as if just realizing that other people had been involved in what happened and her lip trembled as she looked at all the people she had known, that she had just been talking to not even an hour ago, lying on the ground surrounded by walker bodies, their own bodies torn into savagely. Her eyes finally landed on Amy and Andrea and she choked on a sob. She handed Keegan to Daryl quickly and scrambled over to Amy's side, wrapping an arm around the young blonde's waist in support.

Daryl grasped his son tightly, finally getting to do what he'd wanted to do since he'd found the two under the RV. He'd never been as scared for another human being as he had been when he came through those trees and didn't see his kid. And, if he was admitting it to himself, he had been a little concerned for the brunette girl too. Even losing Merle and having him disappear in Atlanta hadn't affected him as strongly as his fear of possibly losing his son. He could only assume it was because Merle could handle himself, even with just one hand. A baby had no way to defend itself or even run away, he was Keegan's only source of protection.

He looked back up when he heard Amy's cries increase in volume. He hadn't known either blonde sister very well but he knew how he would feel if it had been Merle, and he also knew that these sisters had to have been closer than he and Merle were.

"Daryl," said Shane's familiar voice behind him. He finally stood up, his legs feeling a little numb from being in the same position for so long, and turned to look at the former cop.

"He alright? And Molly?"

Daryl nodded, "yeah, they're both fine, far as I can tell. We'll have to check the girl's legs to be sure, I think that's all the walkers were able to reach, but I think she woulda told me if she been scratched or somethin."

Shane nodded, "I'm glad the baby wasn't hurt. You wanna come join us for a meeting?" he asked.

"Don't got anythin else to do," Daryl said with a shrug. He followed the other man the few feet it took to get to the middle of camp and to the rest of the survivors. Amy was still kneeling by what Daryl presumed was her sister's now dead body but Molly seemed to have noticed that the rest of the group was getting together, so she patted Amy softly on the back, crawled to her feet and tried to wipe the tears off her face as she came to stand beside him. When he felt her arm wrap around his waist and her hip lean into his, he almost pulled away from her out of instinct, but refrained because he knew she must need that physical touch or she wouldn't be doing it.

"Alright guys, I know this has been… a horrible night," Shane started, "but there's things that need doing and I don't know how much sleep we're going to be getting. We know it's not safe here anymore, so if the ladies could start packing up everything we don't need tonight, we would appreciate it. We'd like the men to start working through the bodies, making sure all the walkers were put down correctly and that our people are…taken care of…before they start turning. We'll figure out what to do with the bodies after we're sure we double-tap them."

Everyone started nodding but no one spoke really. Mostly everyone who had lived through the attack had made it through with the people they loved, but that didn't mean that they hadn't liked the people who hadn't made it. To have lost so many in such a sudden fashion grated on their already frayed nerves.

Daryl turned to look at Molly, partly to talk to her but also to inconspicuously get her to drop her hand from him and put some space between them. "Why don't you take Keegan in the RV and get some rest? You been through a lot tonight and earned a little break," Daryl suggested.

"What about everyone else?" she asked quietly.

"Screw 'em," Daryl replied with a snort. "Any of them give you trouble you come get me and I'll set their asses straight. You got it? You just stay in that RV with the kid and take a breather. But first…I gotta look at your legs, make sure you ain't scratched or nothin."

Molly nodded and pulled up her pant legs, grimacing at the nasty gunk the walkers had left on them when they'd trying to get to her. Daryl carefully inspected both of her legs up to the knee, not touching her, not even letting go of Keegan to do it, just looking. Walker bites and scratches were pretty noticeable, almost instantly they turned an angry red color and didn't scab over. Regular scratches weren't discolored too much unless they were infected and they scabbed over pretty quick. Daryl was relieved to find that her pant legs had been long enough to not only protect from scratches, but had protected her skin from any of the walker goo that had gotten all over the outside of them.

"Now that you're satisfied I'm not going to turn in the RV and eat your baby, can you just hold him for a few more minutes while I go grab a change of clothes? I don't want to smell up the RV or get any of it on him accidently," Molly said with a tiny smirk.

"He's my kid ain't he? I think I can hold onto him," Daryl said gruffly, trying to bring his former personality out. He had no intention of getting close to this girl, and he had already let her cry all over him for almost half an hour. He didn't need to encourage any kind of friendship or something even more serious and dangerous. He needed some space.

Molly smiled a little more, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. For now she would let him, everyone needed space, but she hoped that in time she could get him to open up to her a little more. With a small nod, she headed hesitantly toward her tent. Sure, the men had given the all clear but that didn't mean she wasn't worried about more walkers showing up. Her tent had been set up kind of away from the rest so there weren't dead bodies piled up all around it like there was near some of the other tents.

Daryl was just beginning to wonder what was taking her so long when she showed up, dressed in a pair of loose sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt, her hair still in the bun that he always saw her sporting. She looked unusually pale as she held out her arms for the baby, nodded at him one last time and then quietly made her way up the RV steps, closing the door behind her. Daryl sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he turned to see where he'd be of the most use.

Making sure all the dead were in fact dead took a surprising amount of time, partly because there were so many, and partly because the other campers were getting all sentimental over the ones they'd lost the night before. Daryl just made a disgusted noise every time it happened and slammed his pick ax into another head. Eventually the dead were all taken care of, which meant that removal was the next step.

**So that's chapter 8. I hope you liked it! As you can see, Andrea will not be making any more appearances in my story, mostly because I despise her character and couldn't standing writing her into the story in the future. I'm not sure yet but I might make Amy a more likeable version of her, it hasn't been decided yet. Review and let me know how I'm doing!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay guys, sorry this is a little later than I was originally going to post but I'm visiting my sister and my niece and nephew and they're busy busy busy. This chapter is longer than I'd like but I think it's a good one. Sorry for any mistakes, if there's anything major let me know and I'll see if I can fix it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 9**

Daryl helped move a few bodies from the more highly populated tent areas before heading for the three walkers he'd killed by the RV. He had dragged one to the burn pile and come back for the second when he heard the crying. Frowning a bit he looked around, only to realize it was coming from inside the vehicle. Sighing again, knowing that for the second time that night he would most likely be trying to comfort a crying woman, Daryl headed inside. He was surprised to see that Molly was sleeping, tears streaming down her dirty face as she held a sleeping Keegan close to her body. As he watched from the hallway, her head began to turn back and forth and her cries became louder and higher pitched.

He quickly stepped forward, worried that she would accidently hurt Keegan in the throes of her nightmare. He knelt down beside the sleeping duo and shook Molly's shoulder lightly as he called her name.

"Molly! Molly, wake up woman!"

Her brown eyes shot open and her breath came in gasps as she looked around her, as if looking for whoever, or whatever, had been causing her bad dream. Her eyes finally focused on Daryl as she tried to get her breathing under control. She seemed to realize she was back in reality because she closed her eyes and sighed before carefully sitting up so she didn't wake the baby. Tears were still slipping from her eyes as she looked at Daryl.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to…well interrupt whatever you were doing I guess."

She looked so fragile that Daryl knew she needed to talk to someone. He also knew that everyone else was too busy to bother with it; he'd just have to do it himself.

"It ain't nothin. You wanna tell me what the dream was about?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Molly sniffled and wiped at her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "It was the walkers. I guess I was pretty much just replaying what happened. Amy shut the RV door and I didn't know where to go, there was nowhere to go. The walkers were coming and Keegan was crying really loud and all I could think of was getting him somewhere safe. Then I was under the RV and the walker - he was so ugly and he was snarling at me and grabbing my legs. I couldn't get him to let go, I kicked his face so many time and he just kept coming. Then the other two showed up and one of them was trying to crawl under to get to Keegan and…I didn't know how to keep them all away, I only had two legs. The first one, he was about to bite my ankle when you woke me up," she said with a tearless sob.

Daryl looked down at the carpeted floor, not sure what to say to comfort the girl. "Well, I don't really know what you're goin through. I ain't never had a bad dream cus of the walkers, but I'm sure it'll go away in time. You think it's just cus it was scary and stressful that you're dreamin about it?" he asked.

Molly shrugged a little. "It could be, I don't know. It really was scary though, and I had no idea what to do. It doesn't help that I've had less walker run-ins than most of the group."

"Ya did fine. I think I got a bone to pick with blondie though, shutting the door on ya and shit," Daryl growled, incensed that the blonde woman had knowingly prevented Molly and his son to get to safety in the RV.

Molly shook her head, "she had to. The walker was right on top of her. If she hadn't fallen back into the RV and shut the door it would have torn her arm open. I don't blame her, and with her sister having just died…I don't think you should say anything either."

Daryl scoffed, "just cus she's a girl and is gunna cry if I yell at her for puttin my kid in danger?" he demanded.

It finally dawned on Molly that Daryl might be upset about more than just Keegan's safety. She didn't recall seeing Merle among the men who returned to camp. "Daryl," she whispered, looking into his unbelievably blue eyes. "Where's Merle at?"

She could tell by the way he shifted uncomfortably, refused to meet her eyes, and cleared his throat that something was wrong. "He ain't here," was all Daryl said in reply.

"I know that, I asked where he was," Molly insisted. She hadn't been close to the older Dixon, she couldn't even say she was close to the younger one, but she did talk to Merle sometimes and he had seemed like a good enough guy when he wasn't being racist or sexist.

"He wasn't there when we went back. He…cut his hand off to get out of the cuffs and was gone when we finally got there."

Molly felt bile rise in her throat and struggled to keep from throwing up. She couldn't imagine losing a hand, let alone cutting it off herself. "I'm so sorry Daryl, I know how much he meant to you, even if you didn't get along all the time."

Daryl glared at her, "don't be talkin like he's dead woman! Cus he ain't dead! Nobody gunna kill Merle but Merle."

"I didn't mean it like that. Whether he's dead, alive, a walker, I'm still sorry for what you're going through," Molly replied.

The anger seemed to seep from Daryl's face and he nodded.

Molly knew he was going to leave soon, he had things to do and he'd already spent more time talking to her tonight than he had since they'd met. She didn't want to be alone yet, so she asked, "so what are we going to do now? We obviously can't stay here after what happened. Do the men have any ideas?"

Daryl shrugged. "I'm sure Shane and the new guy are cookin up some kinda plan now as to where to take all these people. Probably somewhere that's gunna get em all killed…" Daryl replied absently.

"Why are you saying 'these people'? Don't you plan to go too?" Molly asked quietly. She didn't want to think about what would happen if Daryl left on his own with Keegan. She knew it must have been hard enough with just him and Merle, it would be even harder with just him and the baby.

"After what these people did to my brother? I wouldn't be doin right by him if I stayed with the people who made him cut his own damn hand off."

"But, but what about Keegan? I'm sorry Daryl, but Merle is a grown man. I think he would understand you having to stay with the group to protect your son. Shouldn't you do right by Keegan too? You know how hard it is to survive out there, you've been through it. Except this time, if you left, you would be all alone with a baby. Please don't go, don't condemn this baby to a horrible death just because your brother made his own bad choices. Please," she whispered, feeling tears building behind her eyes and forcing them down. She couldn't stand by and let Daryl leave with this baby, to let this little boy get torn apart by walkers. She couldn't handle that, not again.

"What do you care? He ain't your kid, why do you care what happens to him?" Daryl snarled in return. He didn't like people telling him what to do, or proving him wrong. He knew he shouldn't even be thinking about leaving the group, not when he and Keegan would be out there all alone with no one to watch their backs.

"I…I just…Keegan is just a baby Daryl. If you don't want to think straight and realize that it's a bad idea to take him away all alone, then I feel responsible in telling you that it is a very bad idea. He needs the protection. And more than that, the camp needs you Daryl. Do you think we would even last two weeks without the game you bring back? If you leave now, it's not just your son you could be killing. It's Carl, and Louis, Eliza, Sophia, me. The supplies Glenn brings back aren't enough to substitute as real meals for this many people. We rely on the meat you bring us, without it we'll all starve or die trying to scavenge food from places that are too walker-infested."

There was silence after that. Daryl didn't want to admit to her that he was wrong, and Molly didn't know how far she should push him before he would leave for sure. "Will you stay?" she asked finally.

Daryl looked into her eyes for a long time, at least that's how it felt to her, before he stood up without a word and walked out of the RV. She had no idea if she'd convinced him or not, no idea if this was the last time she would hold the little boy in her arms. The tears she'd been holding back began to fall before she even realized it was happening. She couldn't bear to lose him, not like she'd lost Finn.

Sometime later, almost dawn by the way the sky was getting lighter, Molly walked out of the RV with Keegan in her arms. She felt her breath catch as she took in all the bodies that were now in piles waiting to be burned or buried. She hadn't realized last night how many walkers had overrun them, or how many of their people they had lost. A tear slipped from her eye as she caught sight of Amy, still kneeling beside her dead sister. From the looks of things, Andrea had not yet been put down to prevent her from turning. It also looked like the rest of the group was ready to charge in and do it regardless of the feelings of the surviving sister. Molly could see both sides of it really, the camp was worried about Andrea turning and attacking someone, and Amy was so consumed by her grief that she wasn't thinking correctly.

"Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence!" Lori sneered as she walked passed Molly with a box of miscellaneous supplies.

Molly felt her face redden in embarrassment; she had told Daryl this would happen. "Keegan was upset," she said.

"We were all upset," Lori replied, turning around to confront her. "We were all scared, but the rest of us did as Shane asked and started packing up camp. You went and took a nap."

"You have no idea what I went through," Molly replied with a frown. "While you were hiding behind Shane, and his gun I might add, I was trapped under the RV with a baby, with nothing to defend us with except my own feet! There were three of those things trying to get under there with us, to get to this defenseless baby, and all I could do was kick my feet at them. You're going to stand there and lecture me about how I reacted to everything when you were barely even in danger last night? Fuck you Lori, I am so sick of the way you treat me, and other people in this camp. I don't have to explain anything to you, and I'm done feeling bad for things I'm not doing wrong."

"And I'm sick of you acting like you don't have to contribute to the group just because you're taking care of some no good redneck's kid while he's off playing games!" Lori snarled, putting her box down and coming toward Molly.

"Lori!" Rick exclaimed, walking up in time to hear the tail end of the conversation. He, Shane, and Daryl had just come back into the main part of camp. Molly didn't know where they'd been but she was actually glad they were here now to witness Lori's mistreatment. "What is going on?"

"I'm just trying to understand why Molly thinks she can get away with laying around doing nothing all the time just because Daryl lets her play with his kid! She was in the RV all night long and hasn't helped at all with packing up. I just don't think it's fair that the rest of us women get stuck with the work she could be doing," Lori explained.

Molly glared at her, "that's simplifying things just a bit don't you think Lori? I mean, I've only watched Keegan a handful of times for Daryl and even then I'm contributing by helping with laundry or dishes or something. Maybe you don't ever notice that because _you_ are never around helping us women do any of the work! I bust my ass helping keep this camp as nice as possible, while you're off catching butterflies or something equally pointless. Ask any of the women in this camp and they'll tell you the same thing."

"Molly is right about some things Lori. She does contribute, even when she's watching the baby. And even if all she did was watch the baby, it would be enough because that frees up Daryl to hunt, and food is something the camp always needs," Shane offered into the argument. He didn't seem to enjoy siding against the camp's self-appointed queen, but he knew when she was wrong.

Lori scoffed and put her hands on her hips. "Please, that would not be enough! There are plenty of women out there that took care of the kids, washed the clothes, did the dishes, kept the house clean, ran errands, and I don't hear them complaining about too much work."

"That's because there's no one left to complain!" Molly exclaimed. "Not to mention all of those chores were a lot easier to do back when there were washers and dryers and things to make the work more manageable. But we're not fighting about any of that. My problem is that you seem to think you're the fucking cat's meow around here and that entitles you to not only do nothing to help, but to boss other people around because you think they aren't pitching in. This baby that I'm holding right now almost died last night, he could be traumatized for life because of what happened. I will not apologize for taking care of him and showing him that he's safe, even if that means that I didn't help pack up."

Lori didn't reply right away and Rick took the opportunity to step in. "I think we've all had enough conflict and stress for one day. Why don't we just let bygones be bygones and call a truce? Let's agree that everyone does their fair share and if someone feels differently we'll talk about it as a group, not argue about it like children."

Lori shrugged noncommittally but Molly shook her head and shifted Keegan in her arms a little, "I'm sorry Rick but I can't let this go. She has been on my ass ever since Daryl and Keegan showed up. She's constantly talking bad about everyone, but especially Daryl and his brother, even though Daryl keeps her kid fed. When I confronted her the first time, she slapped me in the face and never even bothered to apologize, and has continuously brought this back up. I'm just letting you know that the next time she says _anything_ to me that doesn't include the words 'I'm sorry I'm such a fucking bitch', I am going to punch her so hard in the face it'll break her pretty little nose. You have fair warning," Molly said looking straight at Lori before turning and walking toward Amy's immobile figure.

Daryl watched her go, contemplating what she'd said. He had always assumed that a man from the camp had hit her that day so long ago. He also knew why she wouldn't tell him it was the cop's bitchy wife. If she'd told and he'd done something about it that would have just brought Lori down on her even harder. He couldn't believe that she had defended him and his brother, especially when she knew nothing about them.

"You told me you apologized to her already!" Shane said suddenly, bringing Daryl's attention back to the present.

"I went to, but she never came out of her tent. I wasn't going to stand around and wait for her to take her sweet time. Don't act like I did anything wrong," Lori objected angrily.

Rick and Shane didn't say anything. They looked at each other, Shane shook his head, but they didn't contradict her.

"You did do something wrong," Daryl growled. "Just cus you're too pig headed, ignorant, and stubborn to admit you're wrong don't mean that you didn't _do_ anything wrong. If you were a man and I was an asshole I would kick your ass for the way you been acting bitch." He walked away, leaving the other three gaping at him.

Molly was now standing behind Amy, her free hand on the blonde's shoulder as they continued to watch Andrea's body, as if waiting for it to move again. The sun was fully up now and Molly knew that Andrea would be changing any time now. She was a little surprised that it hadn't happened already. She had no personal experience with the change but she'd always assumed it happened within hours of death.

"Amy, we need to take care of her, before she…comes back," Molly said softly.

Amy nodded, "I know, I just…I've been sitting here all night long, thinking that she's going to wake up soon. I know in my head that when she 'wakes up' she won't be her. But every time I get ready to have someone take care of her I think, maybe she's not really dead, she's just sleeping and she's going to wake up. If she wasn't dead and we…I could never live with myself."

"Honey, you know she's dead, really dead. When she comes back she'll be a walker. You know she never wanted that, you have to end it before she can come back."

"Alright," Amy said with a sniffle. "But, I can't do it myself. I just…I'm not strong enough."

Molly nodded, "Daryl, could you come here?" As the hunter walked toward them Keegan began to squirm. Molly looked down and realized that the boy was awake, and had probably been for a while now. He was looking up at her and apparently was focused on a strand of brown hair that had fallen from her customary bun, because he reached up a chubby hand, curled his fingers around it and yanked hard. Molly smiled and gently pried his fingers from her hair, more than happy to let his hand rest against her nose as he explored her face.

"What?" Daryl grunted when he finally meandered his way over to them. He saw the interaction between his son and this woman who had snuck her way into their lives, and couldn't help the pang of sadness that April wasn't here to see and interact with Keegan like that.

"Amy's said goodbye to Andrea. Could you…we don't want the hole to be noticeable. Could you stab her in the back of the head with your knife?" Molly asked softly, looking up from Keegan to see Daryl's face.

Daryl was sick of all the emotional, sentimental feelings going around camp lately, but Molly had gone above and beyond the night before so he figured he could do this without whining about it. He nodded and crouched down beside the two blonde sisters. Amy was crying again but she nodded her consent when he looked at her for confirmation. He reached forward and turned Andrea's head to the side to get to the back of her skull, pulled his knife, and thrust it in fast and deep to save the girls as much pain as he could.

"Thank you," Amy whispered, reaching for the sheet that Dale had brought her sometime in the night. She kissed her sister's forehead, whispered things that Daryl couldn't make out, and covered her sister's body with it.

It wasn't long after this that the 'funerals' for the dead survivors took place up the hill. Daryl, with Keegan in his arms, stood in the far back of the group with Molly at his side. He had not been attached to any of the people who died. In fact, the only two that he had actually known were Andrea and Jim.

**I realize that this kind of just…ended, but I figured you'd rather have a new chapter than a good ending sentence ;). FYI, yes I did kill Jim instead of have him sick on the way to the CDC, it just distracts and takes too much time to deal with that little subplot and I just wanted to skip it. Also, I've been thinking that Daryl is more out of character than I was originally planning. Please let me know if he's too different or if you like the difference.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here's chapter 10! And I'd like to thank everyone who's read, alerted, and reviewed. This story has gotten such a great response and I'd love to hear what you all think!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 10**

Rick and Shane called a meeting immediately after the funerals. "Alright guys, Shane and I have been discussing what to do now. We obviously can't stay here. Shane wants to go to Fort Benning, but I think that our best shot would be the CDC."

"The CDC? In Atlanta?" Lori asked in shock. "You want to take all of these people into a city infested with walkers?"

"It's on the outskirts, not actually in the city Lori," Rick explained. "We need to know if there's a cure. We need to know how long this is going to last. Fort Benning might not even be functional anymore, it could have been overrun. Now, we need to decide as a group where to go. We'll put it to a vote. Everyone in favor of going to Fort Benning," Rick said.

Shane immediately raised his hand, followed by Carol and T-Dog. Rick waited a minute more to give people a chance to think it over. No one else raised their hands though, and Rick spoke again, "Everyone in favor of the CDC?"

Rick raised his hand followed closely by Lori, Jacqui, Dale, and Glenn. No one else made a move and Rick looked at the people who hadn't raised their hands either way. "What's up guys? You all planning on staying here?"

Morales shook his head. "Miranda and I are thinking about heading to Birmingham, we have family there."

"You can't," Molly said suddenly. "It's too far to go alone, with the kids. Don't leave, please?" she asked.

Morales and Miranda looked at each other and stepped away for a private conversation. Molly's eyes took in their body language and she could tell that they were both unsure of the decision they might be making.

"And what about you Molly? Daryl? Amy?" Rick asked.

Daryl shrugged, "It don't matter where we go. Frankly I been feelin out of place with you people. Not to mention my services have been underappreciated by some of y'all. Why should I stick around?"

"We need you Daryl, and you need us, your son needs us. I think a lot of people have been underappreciated in this group, and we'll work on that. But don't just leave like that! And you Molly? What are you planning on doing?"

Molly bit her lip. "I've been feeling just about as welcome as Daryl lately. If he leaves the group he's going to need help with Keegan. If he leaves, I'm going with him." Daryl looked at her sharply. This girl barely knew him, and she was willing to risk her life to go it solo with him?

"And I'm going wherever Molly goes," Amy's soft voice broke through the silence. "Without Andrea…she's the closest thing I have to family."

"Well y'all better make up your minds quickly, we're leaving as soon as you make a decision, and we won't wait around forever," Rick explained in a tone of voice that showed how exasperated he was.

Daryl knew logically that he couldn't leave the group. Rick was right when he said that Keegan needed the group. And with Molly, and by extension Amy, saying that she was leaving with him if he left…He couldn't put their lives at risk just because they were too stupid to realize that it was probably a death sentence.

"If we only got a choice of Benning or the CDC, then we vote the CDC," Daryl said for all three of them. Molly and Amy nodded silently, apparently okay with that decision.

That left the group waiting on the Morales family. Molly was dreading their decision. She, and everyone else, knew that the likelihood that their family in Alabama still being alive was miniscule. They would have such a better chance sticking with the group. Miranda was the first friend she'd made in the group, they talked about things that Molly had never been able to talk about with other people. She prayed they would see reason.

Finally, Morales and Miranda came back from their discussion. "We've decided to stick with the group. Miranda feels that it's unlikely that our family is still alive and doesn't want to risk the kids on something so unpredictable. Lead the way Helicopter Boy," he said to Rick.

Molly's face broke into a bright smile and she moved from Daryl's side to hug Miranda tightly. "I'm so glad you're coming with us," she whispered into the other woman's ear.

Within fifteen minutes everyone had piled into cars and were headed down the hill on their way to parts unknown, leaving their former home behind. Molly sat beside Daryl in his truck holding Keegan as he drank his bottle and she couldn't help but look through the back window at the place she'd sadly come to know as home.

The duo didn't speak on the ride, they didn't even look at each other really. Molly focused on the baby in her arms or at the scenery flying by her window while Daryl kept his eyes on the road or out his own window. A few hours into the ride Rick pulled the group over for a break, and to clear some cars in the road.

"Do you want me to drive when we get going again?" Molly asked Daryl as they stood beside the truck. She could see that he was tired and doing his best to hide it.

"Naw, I got it."

"Daryl, you're exhausted. You haven't slept in…well you probably haven't had a good night's sleep since before Keegan was born and you didn't sleep at all last night. Keegan and I did sleep, I'm rested and more than willing to drive while you catch some Z's in the passenger seat," Molly offered quietly.

Daryl looked down at the girl who had quite literally pushed her way into his life. She was such a strange woman, both soft and hard, weak and strong. He'd never met anyone who could be such a strong person one minute to seeming so timid and unable the next. He knew she was right, he hadn't slept well the last few weeks, and not at all the night before, and that was after tracking that deer for two days and then running all over Atlanta and back. "Alright," he said grudgingly. "But you wreck my truck I'll make you ride with Lori."

Molly almost burst out indignantly before she saw the smirk on his face. It was so rare to see the man smile, she was struck by how good looking he was yet again. Sure he was nice to look at even when he had a scowl to rival the devil himself, but when he smiled, or smirked in this case, it almost stole her breath. "I'll take good care of it, and I would never endanger you or Keegan by driving recklessly."

Daryl nodded, "alright then. Looks like we're gettin ready to go, so let's go." He took Keegan from her arms and walked around to the passenger side.

Molly slide into the driver's seat and started the engine, realizing as she did so that it had been a long time since she'd driven. Daryl was now situated in his seat, Keegan laying in the space between them with Daryl's hand resting lightly on the baby's stomach. The truck had barely even started to move before Daryl's head was leaning against the window and he was out. Molly smiled a little and focused on the road again.

They reached the CDC building a little before dark. Daryl had woke a few hours after he fell asleep, not nearly long enough for him to be rested in Molly's opinion but it's not like she could force him to go back to sleep. Daryl was out of the truck as soon as it stopped moving. Molly grabbed Keegan and the diaper bag and followed closely behind him. The smell was the worst thing Molly had ever come in contact with, which wasn't surprising because there were dozens of dead bodies littering the CDC lawn. She covered Keegan with his blanket, trying to block some of the smell from getting to him and did her best to cover her own nose as well.

The doors to the CDC were firmly shut and Molly felt her heart drop. They'd come all this way just to have to turn around and go back. Amy had wandered over to Molly's side and was holding onto her arm as they milled about waiting for Rick to do something. Walkers started to appear and Molly felt her heart rate pick up again as she began to take quick, shallow breaths. She knew she was hyperventilating and couldn't do anything about it. She had to hold it together for Keegan, he needed her.

"Molly, it's okay. Molly!" Amy was shouting at her, taking her face in her own shaking hands and making the brunette look at her. "We're alright, Daryl won't let anything happen to you or the baby!"

Molly could hear her talking, but she couldn't make out the words. Her breath was coming so quickly now that it was all she could do to keep breathing at all. Keegan began to squirm in her arms and she could see a bright light but she couldn't focus on that because something was taking Keegan from her arms, pulling the baby and the blanket away from her. She started crying and screaming but someone was holding her back. She struggled with all her might as the person dragged her toward the light she'd seen before; she had to get Keegan before the walkers did.

"Molly!" a stinging sensation permeated through her cheek and she stopped screaming abruptly. She was still breathing too fast and still crying, but she could focus on her surroundings again. They were somehow inside the CDC with the doors shut behind them. Keegan was crying in Amy's arms and everyone was staring at her, some with worry but all had some kind of confusion plastered on their faces. She realized that she was on her knees with Daryl crouched in front of her trying to calm her down.

As she began to realize that they were inside and apparently safe she could feel herself calming down a little. It would take a while for the panic attack to truly dissipate but she'd be okay.

"Sorry," she said softly to the group, wiping at the tears on her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

"What was that?" Shane demanded. "You were freaking the fuck out Molly."

Molly looked down at her hands and took a deep breath, the first deep breath she'd been able to take in what seemed like forever.

"I don't really know, it's never happened before. I guess…I saw the walkers and it reminded me of last night and the RV and…and then someone took Keegan and I thought it was a walker. I wasn't thinking clearly, I'm sorry if I scared anyone."

Everyone stared at her for a second longer before turning to look at a man that Molly didn't recognize. He was blonde and older and clearly wasn't missing any meals. He was wearing a white lab coat and carrying some kind of really big gun.

"Now that we're all calmed down a bit," the man said, "follow me and we'll get going with those blood tests." He turned without another word and started walking.

Molly looked down at her hands that were still curled into claw-like shapes and heaved a sigh. She had no idea what had just happened and was more than a little embarrassed by her behavior. A hand appeared in front of her face and she looked up. Daryl was looking down at her expectantly, his hand still out. She took it and let him pull her to her feet.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Nothin to be sorry about. Ain't never seen anything like that before but after last night I suppose it shouldn't be a shock to anyone that you would be feelin a bit crazy. I'm sorry I slapped you, it was only to get you to calm down."

That explained the stinging sensation she'd felt. "Don't worry about it. If you hadn't done that I might still be having a panic attack and thinking that Keegan was being torn apart by walkers. So who is this guy?" she asked quietly as they followed the rest to an elevator.

The man must have heard her because he turned to look at her as the doors closed behind them and they started moving. "I'm Doctor Edwin Jenner, I work here."

Molly nodded in acknowledgement and leaned back against the wall of the elevator, closing her eyes so she couldn't see all the people sneaking glances at her. When the elevator stopped, the group filed off the lift into a hallway. Molly shuddered a little when Dr. Jenner told them that they were underground but quickly decided that underground and safe from walkers was better than back outside with them. The doctor led them to a big room with chairs set up and began taking blood samples.

**A few things: I always thought it was stupid of the Morales family to go off on their own so in my story they stay with the others. **

**I also didn't realize that this chapter kind of just ends, but I had to cut it off somewhere and this was as good a place as any. **

**Let me know how I'm doing!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry this is later than usual. I've been on a Game of Thrones marathon kick so that's taken up most the time I'd usually spend writing or editing a chapter to get up. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 11**

Daryl, Molly, and Amy stuck to the back of the group and waited to be the last ones to be tested. Keegan was back in Daryl's arms now, Amy having handed him over after they exited the elevator. Molly sat patiently as Jenner stuck the needle in her arm, barely feeling the pinch of it as she sat there.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, looking closely at her face.

"Yeah, we had a run in last night and the walkers outside just…brought it all back. I'm fine. Thank you for asking, and for letting us in."

Jenner nodded, pulled the needle from her arm and asked for her name to put on the vial of blood.

"Molly, Molly Sinclair."

Jenner's head shot up and his eyes narrowed, "Any relation to William Sinclair?"

Molly sighed and nodded, "he was my father."

"I'm sorry for your loss. William was a brilliant scientist, I'm sure he could have figured this all out if he was still alive. This facility truly lost a great asset when he passed."

"Thank you," Molly whispered with an appreciative smile before getting up.

Jenner watched her contemplatively while he waited for Amy to take Molly's place. The blonde didn't speak, she rarely spoke at all anymore, but she swayed on her feet as she stood after her blood was taken.

"As soon as I'm done with these tests we'll go get something to eat. I'm sure you're all hungry, and having your blood drawn always seems to fatigue people," Jenner offered as Daryl sat down with Keegan in his lap. Jenner's eyes zeroed in on the baby and his lips drew into a thin line.

"I'm going to need to test him too," he told Daryl.

Daryl nodded his understanding and held out his own arm first. Jenner poked the needle in and started drawing the blood. "To be honest, I'm surprised to see a baby after all this time. I was sure that they would have all been…" he trailed off at the horrible thought going through his head.

"We were just as surprised as you are when Daryl and his brother showed up with a baby," Shane offered. "But they seemed to have done just fine before they came to us."

"Yeah, Daryl's a badass," Glenn pitched in.

"Still, babies are extremely fragile, not to mention they have no concept of patience. They cry when they're hungry, or dirty, or tired, or scared. These days that's a death sentence. Before you came here I couldn't conceive of any child under the age of…5 or so, being able to survive out there at all. How old is he?"

Daryl looked down at the kid and did the math in his head. "Month, month and a half. It's hard to tell nowadays since time don't really matter. He was born right after all this shit happened. He's about the quietest baby I ever met, like he knows he has to be or somethin."

Jenner nodded, pulling the needle from Daryl's arm and carefully inserting a new one into the baby's chubby arm. "And his mother?"

Everyone except Molly looked at Daryl with new interest. He had never once mentioned Keegan's mother, they had never even thought to ask the easily angered man about her. Molly was the only one who knew.

"Died about a week before we met this group," Daryl said shortly.

"I'm sorry to hear that. So he's been living on formula since then?" Jenner asked.

Daryl nodded, "yeah, me and my brother stopped at every store we came to while we were headin for Atlanta and grabbed all the formula and other baby shit we could. Never knew when we might run out and didn't want to risk it."

"If you'd be willing, I'd like to run some more tests on him after we get everyone fed. I'd like to make sure his levels are all right for his age group, make sure he's healthy."

"I don't see any problem with that," Daryl agreed, shushing the baby when he began to whine as the doctor pulled the needle out of his tiny arm.

Once Jenner finished putting the label on the baby's vial of blood he led the group down the hall to the cafeteria. Carol, Miranda, and T-Dog immediately started going through the food stores and selecting items to make for dinner.

"Take anything you want, there's frozen things in the freezers too," Jenner said, sitting down at a table to the side of the one long table the group had put together.

Molly had sat down at the table already and could feel the presence of Amy on her left side. The blonde had rarely left her side since Andrea died, as if she was completely lost in the world now without her older sister to guide her. Neither of them spoke, both too wrapped up in their own minds to even conceive of a topic worth talking about. Molly was staring at the drops of water sliding slowly down the outside of a glass of ice water in the middle of the table when someone set down a long-stemmed wine glass full of red wine in front of her.

"Figured you could use a drink," Daryl said as he slid into the seat on her right with Keegan cradled in the crook of his left arm.

"I've never been much of a drinker," Molly confessed, but she picked up the glass anyway and took a long drink. Almost immediately she felt it warming her insides. "Thanks, this might just help a little."

Daryl gave her that tiny smirk that she had come to learn was about the biggest show of happiness or amusement he would give. It wasn't long before the table was piled with different kinds of foods. Molly did know from experience that if you were planning on drinking you would want something in your stomach to soak up some of the alcohol, so she opted for a large helping of spaghetti. It was about the most delicious thing she could remember having in ages and it made her realize just how sad their little existence had become at the quarry if something as simple as spaghetti was such a rare treat. She continued to drink throughout the meal too, every time her glass was empty is magically filled up again, as did Amy's beside her. She didn't complain though, it really was helping her forget about the incident from earlier and it was letting her loosen up a little.

She didn't even hear the conversation that Shane had started with Jenner; she was so focused on finishing her food and having another drink. She had also commandeered Keegan from Daryl and was making noises down at him. She almost died and went to heaven when Jenner said that they could take showers. But she wanted to wait until everyone had taken theirs and were in bed before she ventured there.

By the time everyone headed off to their room she was completely hammered and could barely see straight ahead of her. "Molly!" came a voice down the hall. She turned slowly to see Amy making her shaky way down the hall toward her. "Can I stay in your room? I didn't pick one out and I don't think I could be in a room on my own anyway."

Molly smiled drunkenly, "of course. Come on, I think I picked this one earlier." She pushed open a door on the left and sighed in relief that she'd found the right room when she saw her bag beside one of the couches. She sank down in a seated position with her head leaned against the wall behind it. A creak told her that Amy had done the same on the other couch. "Who knew a simple office couch could be so comfortable."

"Molly," came Amy's voice again a few minutes later. Molly opened her eyes and looked at her friend. She was surprised to see tears streaming down the younger girl's face. "I'm so sorry. It was coming at me and I couldn't wait or it would get me. I should have done something to help you and the baby. I just…I'm sorry." Amy was sobbing now, her face hidden by her hands.

"No, no Amy. You didn't do anything wrong. I understood completely and didn't blame you at all. I wanted you to get in the RV and close the door as fast as possible, because that walker was right on top of you. If you'd waited…it wouldn't have just been Andrea that we lost that night. And Keegan and I are both fine, you have nothing to apologize for," Molly replied, crawling across the floor so she was in front of the crying girl.

"But you're not fine!" Amy exclaimed. "If I had helped you like I should have, you wouldn't have freaked out when we got here! If I'd helped, you wouldn't be afraid."

Molly laughed, "we're supposed to be afraid Amy. If we aren't afraid it means we're dead. Fear is what keeps us one step ahead of the walkers. Lose that fear and we become complacent, we forget that they're dangerous and will kill us if they catch us. So I'm a little…traumatized…by what happened. But I'll get over it, and as long as I have people here to slap me back to myself it won't be a problem. I really don't blame you for anything. Now, why don't you lie down and try to get some sleep? I think it'll make you feel better."

Amy nodded and slumped over sideways on the couch. Molly smiled and pulled the girl's feet up onto the couch too, covering her with a thin blanket from the armrest. Once she was sure that Amy was passed out, Molly grabbed her sleeping clothes and hairbrush and slipped from the room in search of the showers.

She had never felt anything as wonderful as the hot water sliding through her long hair and down her back. The water at the quarry was usually cold, sometimes lukewarm if the weather was hot enough, but it was nothing compared to this. Someone had either found some hair products or brought them along, because there was a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner sitting in the holder below the shower head. Molly washed her hair at least three times, loving the way it felt when she was done.

She did remember that Jenner had asked them to make their showers quick, and she had done it as quickly as she felt was reasonable before slipping out of the shower, toweling herself off, and putting her clothes on. The shower had helped a little with the effects of the alcohol because while she still felt decidedly drunk, she wasn't as dizzy or unbalanced as before. It took a while to brush out her hair, it was almost down to her waist and her vigorous washing had tangled it a bit, not to mention she hadn't brushed it for two days. Once she was done brushing it, she stared at herself in the mirror. She didn't think she had changed that much. Her face was a tiny bit thinner than before due to smaller meals, and her hair was a little lighter because of all the time they spent out in the sun, and she was more toned because she was using all of her muscles in daily life now. But essentially she was the same person with the same body, same mind, and definitely the same history. Nothing could change the things she had gone through, and she could see the haunted look that took over her eyes as she stared at herself.

Heaving a sigh and running the brush through her still wet hair one more time, Molly gathered up her dirty clothes and shut the bathroom light off. She staggered down the hall, using her left hand to steady herself against the wall. She was halfway back to her room when she saw Daryl coming down the opposite direction with Keegan.

"Hey! He's not in bed yet?" Molly asked.

"Naw, that loony doctor wanted to check him out. Says he's as healthy as a horse. Acted all surprised that I can apparently take care of my own damn kid," Daryl replied.

"Ah, well I'm not surprised, about the healthy part, not about him being surprised. You're a great dad," Molly answered with a silly smile.

"Well thanks, I been doing the best I can in the circumstances. Whoa, you okay?" Daryl asked as Molly swayed into the wall. "Come on, let's talk in my room," he offered, taking her arm to help her down the hall to his door.

He helped her sit down on the couch before sitting down beside her. Keegan clearly hadn't minded the poking and prodding of the doctor, because he was already sleeping. Daryl had put together a cot for the baby before dinner and set him down so his arms could finally be free.

"I just want to say that if it weren't for you Molly, I wouldn't even have a kid to be a great dad too," Daryl said quietly. "After last night I feel like a complete jackass for how I treated you when I first joined the group. You risked your life for my kid and that's something I can never repay."

Molly shrugged, "there was nothing else I could have done. He's just a baby, and you left him with me because you trusted me to take care of him. Anyone would have done it, I just happened to be the one holding him."

Daryl was quiet for a few minutes and then said, "not everyone would have done it. I ain't never told anyone this, not even Merle. But Keegan's mom didn't just get bit by a walker. She had been actin strange ever since Keegan was born and the night she died I found her out in the woods, her wrists cut and a walker body next to her. It had bit her before she could kill it. She told me she was sorry but she had to do it or she would have done something bad to Keegan. I still don't know what she meant but…she wasn't in her right mind and if what she said was true, she wouldn't have protected him like you did. His own mother wouldn't even stick around for him."

Molly just stared at him for a while, clearly shocked by this news. "She, she committed suicide?" she whispered.

Daryl nodded, "well technically she got bit, but we wouldn't have been able to stop the bleeding even if she hadn't been bit. I couldn't believe she would just leave her son like that, leave me alone with him even though she knew how worried I was about bein a dad."

"She must have thought it was the only choice. I've read about some women who…they develop this severe type of depression after they have a baby and some of them get so bad that they start thinking about killing themselves or their babies. I know it's horrible to say, but maybe she did the only thing that would make sure she couldn't hurt Keegan. I think she loved him more than you know."

Daryl felt his eyes sting. He shoved his emotions down again but not before Molly noticed. "You must have loved her very much," she said quietly, almost sadly.

"April and I knew each other since we were kids. Lived next to each other, grew up together, took care of each other when our parents were too drunk or too busy to take care of us. Keegan was a complete surprise to us. We'd gone out drinking for her birthday, got smashed and ended up in bed together. It was a mistake but once she found out she was pregnant I knew I had to take care of her. We were never…I guess you would say 'together' in a relationship, but we took care of each other because we were best friends and were now stuck being parents of the same kid. I did love her, but like a sister, not the way I'd love a wife. Not the way I know she wanted me to love her," he whispered.

Molly nodded, still feeling sad but the sadness was now combined with some strange elated feeling that she'd never experienced before. But as she looked at Daryl and his slumped shoulders the sadness took over, for him and for herself.

**This is not where I wanted to end this chapter, but in order for you to get another update in a few days I had to cut it in half… I realize it sort of just ends. In case I wasn't able to make it clear enough, Daryl and April were never boyfriend/girlfriend. They were friends that found themselves in the unexpected situation of being parents together. So besides the love a friend or maybe a sibling would share, Daryl never had any romantic feelings for her. Also, after the next chapter it might be a while until I can update again, we're coming to the end of this story but I'm having trouble actually ending it. Review and let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. It's the one everyone has been waiting for I think so I hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I'm debating on whether to make Lori and Shane a couple or to leave that aspect like the show… let me know what you think of the idea of me deviating from the story and putting them together. **

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 12**

"I guess it's my turn to spill my history," Molly said, knowing somewhere inside that she should shut up and leave before she told him anything, but the alcohol still coursing through her veins had a different idea in mind.

"No, you don't have to tell me anything, I just wanted you to know, after all you've done for me and Keegan. You deserved to know." Daryl had seen the sad looks she had sometimes and the vague things she said when she looked sad and he almost didn't want to know what could cause such a feeling.

"And you deserve to know about me," Molly replied. "About a year and a half ago I met a boy at college. His name was Aaron and I thought we were in love. After a couple months I moved in with him and things seemed to be going alright. We weren't the happiest couple on the planet by far, but we weren't the most miserable either. Not long after we moved in together I found out that I was pregnant. My son Finn was born in January. Aaron wanted nothing to do with him, refused to have anything to do with the pregnancy, and had pretty much broken contact with me by my eighth month. He said that his education was the most important thing in his life and that he wasn't going to let some mistake ruin the rest of his life. Without Aaron helping support us, I had to get a tiny little apartment, put school on hold, and start working two jobs, at the daycare and at a bar near my place. Finn was with my mother the day all this went from bad to worse. When I heard what was happening with people coming back and eating each other I went to my mom's house as fast as I could."

Molly bit her lip and looked toward the ceiling to try to keep the tears at bay. "Uh, when…when I got there the front door was open and there was a walker in the living room with my mom. They were…" Molly's breath shuddered as she tried to keep going. "They were standing over Finn's playpen and…" The tears began falling in torrents, nothing Molly did would stop them as she let out her pain and grief for the first time since she'd found her mother tearing her son's body apart. She hadn't cried about it since the day it happened, and hadn't thought about the actual event at all. She had refused to think about it, knowing that if she thought about it she would never stop thinking about it, and it would break her. "I didn't even do anything. I remember screaming and crying, but when my mom turned to look at me and I saw her face…I ran. I left my son to be eaten alive; I couldn't even put my own mother down."

Daryl was shocked at her story. He had no idea what to do for her, had never met anyone who had suffered something so traumatic. Because he couldn't think of anything else to do, he gathered her close to him and held on to her tight. Her hands moved from her face and wrapped around his back and gripped him tighter than any woman had ever held him before. She sobbed into his neck and he couldn't help inhaling the shampoo she'd used on her amazingly pretty hair. "It's alright, everything will be alright," he said soothingly, running his hand up and down her back repeatedly, letting his fingers tangle in her tresses.

"I'm a terrible person Daryl. What kind of person just stands by while her family is destroyed like that?" she cried against his neck.

"You're not a terrible person Molly. You did what you had to do. If you had stayed you would have just ended up dead like them. You know that your son was already gone by the time you got there right? There's no way he could have lived through it, and your mother had already turned. You survived, just like all the rest of us are doin. You can't blame yourself; there was nothin you could have done to prevent it when you had just learned about it. I'm sorry about what happened to you, and your family," he whispered into her hair.

He could feel her sobbing still but she had quieted quite a bit. As they sat there wrapped in each other's arms Daryl thought about this new information and used it to make connections with things he'd previously noticed about this girl. He understood now why she acted so extra protective of Keegan, she was compensating for how she hadn't been able to protect her own son, and he probably reminded her of her baby in a couple ways. But he couldn't understand how she had kept herself so collected all this time, how she hadn't just curled up in a ball and been consumed by her grief. She was stronger than he'd ever give her credit for. The more he thought about it the more he was pissed about her scumbag boyfriend and he found himself hoping that he had succumbed early to the walker epidemic. It also made him think about Lori's treatment of her and that irked him to no end. After everything this girl had been through she shouldn't have to deal with that uppity bitch's shit too.

Finally, Molly pulled away a little bit. Her eyes were puffy and red and still wet, and her cheeks still had tears on them but she was smiling a little. "Thanks for letting me cry on you," she said softly, staring into his blue eyes. "And for trusting me with what happened to Keegan's mom."

"No one should be left alone with grief as deep as yours is Molly. Does Keegan help with the pain?" he asked in return, just now realizing how deep a brown her eyes were.

Molly nodded, biting her lip against fresh tears. "He looks a little like him, or maybe I just think he does because I want him to look like Finn…but Finn acted a little like him, was quiet and more observant than whiny like some babies. But really, just having a baby around helps me through it, makes me feel like maybe it's not as hopeless as I feel it is sometimes. And being able to watch him, protect him, makes the pain a little more bearable, like I'm making up for not being able to protect my own son. I know he's not mine Daryl, I'm not trying to claim him as my own, I would never try to take your son from you. He just makes me feel better."

Daryl smirked a little, remembering that first day they'd met when he told her that Keegan was his and no one was allowed to just steal him away. "Any time you feel sad or hopeless, you find Keegan and hold him. No, he's not your son but that don't mean you haven't kind of taken on a role in his life that only a woman can really fill. It doesn't have to be any more than you carin for him when you want to. I trust you with my son Molly, you will always be the person I give him to if we're in a jam," he said quietly.

Molly searched his eyes, looking for a lie or a 'but' or anything to tell her that he was going to pull the rug out from under her. But she didn't find anything but honesty and compassion. His blue orbs were looking into her eyes in return and before she could control her actions she was leaning toward him, her lips coming to rest against his. She could tell she'd shocked him, she was surprised herself, but it didn't take him long to get over his shock. He brought his right arm around her waist and his left went behind her neck, tangling in her damp hair and holding her close to him as her arms both wrapped around his neck, one of them playing with the hair at the base of his head. It was a slow, languid kiss, not frantic and rough like Molly would have expected from this rough-hewn man.

They broke apart when they ran out of air, both panting a little as they stared at each other.

"I'm sorry," Molly managed to get out as she sat back enough to see his whole face.

Daryl grinned, loosening his hold on her so she wouldn't feel like he was making her stay where he wanted her. "Don't be, that was nice."

"It was, and I really enjoyed it. I just don't want you to feel obligated to be nice to me because of what I just told you, and I don't want to feel like you're being nice because you feel sorry for me. I don't think now is the right time to explore anything like this," Molly offered in an apologetic voice.

Considering her words and realizing that she was right, Daryl nodded. He knew that he wasn't just being nice to her, she had caught his attention when they'd first met, but he didn't want her to feel like he pitied her. He didn't even know if he wanted to start anything - physical or emotional - with this girl. She was so damaged already, and he had never had any kind of real, healthy relationship of his own. He was fine leaving it at an ill thought out kiss for the time being until they both figured out what was going on. "I agree that we should hold off, but I want you to know that I don't pity or feel sorry for you. I'm sorry about what happened to you but I know you'll pull through. You're a strong woman Molly and I don't think I could ever pity you."

Molly nodded and heaved a sigh. "Thank you so much Daryl. Well, I think I should head to bed. Amy is alone in our room and I don't want her to wake up while I'm not there. You and Keegan sleep well tonight," she said with a smile, running her hand down his cheek then doing the same to Keegan before going to the door and disappearing down the hall.

Daryl sighed and stripped down to his underwear before checking Keegan one last time and laying down on his cot with one arm behind his head, thinking about all the things he'd learned that night. He slipped into sleep with the image of dark brown eyes and hair permeating his dreams.

**I'm sorry this is kind of short, I thought it was a good place to stop. Let me know what you thought of Molly's story. I hope it wasn't too similar to anyone else's story on here. Please review! I love the feedback and they help motivate me!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here's 13! It's a little later than usual but at least it's here. I'd like to give a huge thanks to the people who are taking the time to review, it means a lot. Also, thank you to everyone who has favorited or added me to their alerts. Any spelling/grammar mistakes are mine. I try to catch them but some might slip through the cracks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 13**

The sound of Keegan's hungry cries woke him the next morning and Daryl sat up rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before getting to his feet and walking to his crying son. Keegan was kicking his legs, his little face red and wet from his efforts, but he became almost still when he looked up at Daryl. Daryl smiled down at him and carefully picked him up, grabbing the diaper bag on his way toward the cafeteria room they'd eaten in the night before.

Daryl knew it must be early still because Carol and Jacqui were the only ones in the kitchen part of the room, already started on breakfast and there was only Molly, Miranda, and Lori sitting at the long table. Daryl was a little surprised to see Molly up so early, considering how much she'd drank the night before and how late it had been when she'd finally gone to bed. He wasn't surprised that she sat clear on the opposite end of the table from Rick's uppity bitch, Miranda taking a seat next to the young brunette.

He couldn't help but stare at her as he walked slowly into the room. Her hair had been damp last night but even then he'd been surprised by how long it was. He had only ever seen her with her hair up in that messy bun of hers, it was never down, never just in a ponytail, not even braided. Now he could see how long and dark it was cascading down her back and over her shoulders. It wasn't really straight, but it wasn't quite wavy either. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a white thing that looked like fish netting over a purple tank top. Whatever Miranda was saying to her must have been funny, because he saw a smile appear on her face and her soft laughter drifted over to him.

Keegan let out a whine as he reached the table and set the diaper bag down on the polished surface. Molly looked up from her conversation with the young mother of two and her face brightened even more when she saw Keegan.

"Is he hungry?" she asked Daryl, who was trying to one-handedly pull out a bottle, nipple, and formula to make the baby's breakfast. After watching him struggle for a minute she let out a snort of laughter and held out her arms, "here, why don't you let me hold him while you go get his breakfast ready?"

Daryl looked up from his struggles and frowned good naturedly before nodding and holding the baby out to her. As soon as Keegan was nestled against Molly's chest Daryl grabbed the things he needed and headed toward the sink to get the bottle ready.

Miranda looked between the two and shook her head. She couldn't believe how clueless they both were to each other. All anyone had to do was see the look on Molly's face every time Daryl came in the room and they'd know she was crushing on him hard. It was harder to tell with the reserved man, but Miranda had been observing them and saw the way he snuck glances at her, always watching to make sure she was still around. She didn't understand why they were trying to fight it but if they wanted to act like teenagers afraid of their own feelings then she wasn't going to interfere with that…yet.

She smiled as she watched Keegan pull at Molly's long brown hair. No doubt the baby was just as surprised by Molly's unbound hair as Miranda was herself, but clearly the boy liked it because he brought up both hands now and was tugging on two separate parts. Molly let out a little laugh before taking hold of the baby's hands and removing them carefully from her hair. Keegan frowned at her interference and was just about to start crying again when Daryl came back with his bottle. Molly didn't even offer the baby back to him, just held out her hand and waited until he put the bottle into it.

Miranda noticed that Daryl barely hesitated before handing the bottle over and she thought she caught a smirk on his face as he turned away to see about getting something to drink for himself. He sat down on Molly's unoccupied side and set a glass of orange juice down in front of her.

"Don't know if you like the stuff, and it's from a can, but figured I'd grab somethin for you," he said shortly without looking at either of the women.

"Thanks Daryl," Molly replied with a smile.

Keegan had finished his bottle and Molly had just propped him up so he could look around when Amy came into the room looking extremely hung over. She sat down beside Miranda and laid her head down on the table.

"Amy? Are you alright?" Molly asked, feeling sympathy for the woman but unable to hide her smile.

Amy groaned and mumbled something that must have been a 'no' or something along those lines but she didn't raise her head. Figuring that letting her sit in silence was probably better for her hangover, Molly focused her attention back on Keegan, who was cooing and had once again grabbed her hair. She just rolled her eyes and let him pull on it this time.

"Didn't know you had so much hair," Daryl observed, watching his son tangle his fingers in the brown tresses.

Molly looked over at him, "It's so damn hot outside that I have to keep it up off my face and neck or I go crazy but I can't bring myself to cut it." She looked around to see if anyone was listening and looked back at him when she realized that Miranda was now in the kitchen helping with breakfast and Amy looked passed out at the table. "Finn loved to play with my hair," she whispered.

Daryl nodded, he didn't understand from personal experience but he could see how something like that would affect this woman. She had nothing else to remind her of her child, so her own hair would have to do.

They sat in silence until the rest of the group showed up and breakfast was served. It was just eggs, sausage, and bacon but it was the most amazing thing Molly could remember eating. The spaghetti the night before had been good but nothing compared to bacon after a night of drinking, or any time really. She noticed that Daryl kept sneaking bacon and eggs onto her plate when he thought she wasn't looking and finally she turned a little in her chair to look at his deceptively innocent face.

"Why do you keep giving me more food?" she demanded, taking a sip of her juice but not taking her eyes off him.

"What you talkin about?" he asked in return.

"You keep putting more food on my plate when you think I'm not looking. Why?"

"You're seein things, cus I ain't puttin anythin on your plate," Daryl replied, looking at her plate closely, as if wondering what she was seeing.

Molly tried to hide her smile as she glared at him. "I know what I saw, and while I don't mind the food, I do want to know what you think you're doing."

"You're too skinny," Daryl said simply. "Can't have you gettin sick or somethin, I got enough to deal with tryin to keep Keegan safe, don't wanna worry about you too."

The words were offensive, suggesting that she couldn't take care of herself, but the way he said them made her think that he wasn't offending her, he was actually worried about her wellbeing. It made her realize how closely he must watch her if he had noticed that she was skinnier than she had been when they'd first met.

"Aw Daryl, I didn't know you cared," she teased with a laugh.

Daryl glared at her before looking down at his own plate, frowning as he moved his eggs around with his fork. "Keegan needs you," he grunted. Molly smiled and went back to eating her own food, not wanting to embarrass him any more than she knew she already had. Keegan began to squirm in her lap so she set down her fork to focus on the baby. While the rest of the group badgered Jenner with questions, Molly sat in her chair and babbled with Keegan.

She didn't notice that everyone had gotten up and started leaving the room until Daryl tugged on a strand of her hair, "you comin or what?"

Molly blinked and looked around in surprise. She nodded and let Daryl help her to her feet before propping Keegan up and following everyone to the big room full of computers. Molly and Daryl stood off to the side with Amy as Jenner showed a video of a walker transition. None of this really mattered to Molly. In her opinion, nothing they did was going to change what was happening, so why worry about how or why it had happened. She knew that as a history major it should matter more to her but in the moment she realized how useless history really was. How was it going to help her during all this?

"So they aren't alive?" Lori asked after the subject had reanimated.

"No, everything they were or ever would be is gone when they turn," Jenner replied. "We did tests to see if a subject could remember or recognize anything from before they turned. None of them reacted except to try to sink their teeth in us. They're gone, forever as far as we've been able to tell."

Molly bit her lip at those words. It hurt to know that her family couldn't have been saved, but it was also a relief that her mother wouldn't know what she had done to her grandson, that she didn't have to think about her family. Even if her mother was still walking around somewhere it wasn't really her. Margaret Sinclair was dead, no matter what her body had decided it wanted to do.

Amy had sucked in a shuddering breath that seemed like it turned into a sob. Molly turned to look at her and her heart hurt a little for her blonde friend.

"She lost someone two days ago," Miranda said quietly, moving to Amy and putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I lost someone too, I know how you feel," the scientist said in a sympathetic tone. Molly frowned a little at his statement. Did he think that he and Amy were the only people to lose loved ones? She couldn't think of a single person in the room right now who hadn't lost someone to the epidemic. Maybe he was just trying to make the blonde feel better, or maybe he really was that naïve, he'd been alone here for a long time.

Molly stopped listening after that, he wasn't telling them anything that they didn't already know or wouldn't have just figured out on their own. Keegan had started to fall asleep in her arms and he was getting heavy, so she turned to Daryl and told him that she was taking the baby back to her room for a nap. When she got to her room she laid Keegan down on her cot and put some pillows around him so he wouldn't fall off the edge before rolling her shoulders and stretching her arms out. Boredom soon took over as she sat on the couch across from the baby, so she got up and went to the desk in the corner of the room. She'd never snooped in a person's drawers before and was surprised that it was as messy as it was. There were papers and folders strewn in almost all the drawers, and she couldn't even begin to count the number of paper clips and boxes of staples she'd found. The bottom drawer held a surprise that she wasn't expecting.

Whoever owned this office was either pregnant or knew someone pregnant when the world went to hell, because there was a baby name book sitting on top of all the folders in the drawer. She assumed the baby was a girl because there were dozens of little pink Post-It tabs along the edges, apparently names that the owner had liked. On a whim, she flipped the book open to the K's. Keegan was three pages into the list and she couldn't help actually laughing when she read the meaning behind the name. 'Descendant of the Fiery One' was perfect for Daryl's son and it made Molly wonder if April had purposely chosen the name for its meaning.

She had just flipped to the F's and was running her fingers over her own son's name when Daryl quietly opened the door. He glanced over at his son's sleeping form before coming over to the desk Molly was sitting behind.

"Whatchu doin?" he grunted, sitting lightly on the edge of the desk.

"I was just snooping while Keegan napped. I found this," she said, holding the book up so he could see the cover. "Do you know what your son's name means?" she asked as she flipped back to the K's and turned the book so he could read it.

Daryl smirked as he read the meaning and looked back up at Molly, "so?"

"I think April did it on purpose. I just thought you would find it interesting, considering how 'fiery' you can be when your temper takes over," Molly replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, she told me it had personal meaning, but never said what it meant. And I never really cared much what it meant. Keegan was always gunna be her kid, I wouldn't have been like your baby daddy but we wouldn't have had the white-picket fence lifestyle. I figured since he was gunna be hers that she should be makin those kinda decisions. I never thought I'd be takin care of him all alone like this."

"I know you didn't plan it but it will work out as well as it can. You're doing a great job and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Molly reassured him, getting to her feet and walking over to the couch she'd slept on the night before.

"Your dad worked here?" Daryl asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Oh, yeah. He got recruited almost right out of high school. Jenner said he was a brilliant scientist…I don't really know if that's true. He never brought his work home with him, unless there was something going around that my mom and I should be aware of. Sure he was a really smart man, but I never met the scientist that he was when he was here. When he was diagnosed with lung cancer he worked as long as he could but eventually he couldn't even get out of the house because his treatments made him so weak. I think that's when he really gave up, this place gave him a purpose, especially after I was grown and out of the house. When he couldn't work anymore he felt he had nothing left to hold on for. My mother was crushed when he died, and it wasn't until Finn was born that she came out of her depression."

"I'm sorry bout your family." Daryl had sat down on Amy's couch, below Keegan's little feet, and was looking intently at her.

"Thanks. Um, Daryl…I'd really appreciate if you didn't tell anyone the things I've told you."

"Don't have to ask me that. I ain't no woman, I don't go gossipin to all the other men about shit that ain't none of their business. But you can't go blabbin my business to the other women neither," he negotiated.

Molly smirked, "your secret's safe with me. There are some things that just shouldn't be common knowledge, and things this personal definitely should be kept private. Trust me."

They lapsed into silence again, both watching the gentle rise and fall of the baby's chest as he slept. Molly was just about to stretch out her legs on the empty side of her couch when the lights flickered and went out.

**I hope you enjoyed! The baby book part was mostly so that people knew what Keegan's name meant without having to look it up. I have a list of names that I like and I looked up their meanings to see if any of them would fit for my story and I was really pleased with Keegan and it's meaning. Next chapter might take a while, I'm having trouble with a couple of different parts. Review and let me know how I'm doing!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry this is later than usual. I did something really bad to my back and couldn't sit down in front of my laptop. I literally could only sit in one chair in my house with ice on my back all day long. This one is kind of longer because I couldn't find a good place to stop. Also, I do not have any more of this story written out ahead of time, if not for my back injury I would have kept up with it but alas…anyway it might be a while before another update.**

**I did not edit the chapter because I wanted to get it out for you. So I apologize for any mistakes or if it seems rushed at all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 14**

"What the hell?" Daryl grunted, getting to his feet almost immediately. Molly followed a second later, going to Keegan and carefully picking him up before trailing after Daryl to the door. "Hey man, what's goin on?" he demanded as Jenner walked past the hallway of rooms.

"Energy is being prioritized," the scientist said vaguely.

"Air and lights ain't important?" Daryl grunted back.

"It isn't up to me. The building is designed to keep the computers running as long as possible. And it looks like we're right on schedule," he said as they all walked into the circle room with the big screen and saw the clock on the wall read 30:00. Molly had no idea what any of this meant, it was clear that she had missed something when she'd taken Keegan for his nap.

"What is goin on Jenner?" Daryl growled, his question echoed by Rick and Shane as they came into the room.

"In the event of complete system failure, steps must be taken for facility-wide decontamination."

"What's that mean?" Shane demanded as he and Rick ran up.

"In an event like this, H.I.T.s are set off. They're…explosives… that set the air on fire. A millisecond of pain, and then…nothing."

There was a pregnant silence as everyone stared at him in utter shock before pandemonium broke out.The men began running around looking for a way to get the metal door open while Lori, Carol, and Miranda corralled the children and sank to the floor, trying desperately to reassure them that everything would be alright. They were all crying, even the three mothers, although it was clear they were trying to hold it together a little while the children practically sobbed in their arms.

Molly felt her heartbeat picking up again with the horrible revelation that Jenner meant to kill them all. She gripped Keegan tighter and she felt him squirm at the uncomfortable pressure on his body. As Daryl and Shane went crazy, she sucked in a panicked breath and went to Jenner.

"Please, please don't do this to us," she pleaded. "You can't make this choice for us!"

"It will only hurt for a millisecond. A millisecond compared to the minutes or even hours of agonizing torture that awaits you outside this building. It's better this way," the crazy man said, almost sounding enraptured by what was going to happen.

"No, no, no, no!" Molly said frantically. "Listen, you, you knew my father! You and he were friends weren't you?! Do you think he would be okay with this? You said he was a brilliant scientist, one who could fix all this! If he were here do you think he would let you do this to us, to his own daughter?!" Keegan must have picked up on her hysteria because he was awake and crying now.

Jenner's face took on an almost guilty look as he seemed to consider her words. But then he was shaking his head and saying, "listen to this baby in your arms Molly. This will be the last sound he ever makes if you leave this place. He will die a horrible death, all of you will, and you won't have any way to prevent it. There is no cure, no help coming, there's nothing left."

His words tore through Molly's mind, the words that brought up that horrible picture of her mother and that stranger tearing her son apart, his screams echoing in her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the memory and the current situation took their toll on her already over-stressed emotions. "Please," she whispered, looking down at Keegan before looking back up into the doctor's eyes. "This baby deserves the chance to grow up. Even a small chance out there is more than what you're offering in here. We have the right to keep fighting if that's what we want, you can't make that choice for us. Please just let us go." Her words were almost silent by the time she finished speaking and she knew that unless the others were really straining to catch the conversation only Jenner heard her words.

Jenner's eyes went back and forth between Molly and Keegan and finally he closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. He was already turning toward his computer when he opened his eyes and she watched as he slid his ID card in a little machine and punched in some kind of code. Daryl was yelling and coming toward her before she even realized that the door was open.

"Thank you," she gasped out before letting Daryl push her toward the exit.

"You run, follow the others and get up to those outer doors," Daryl instructed. "I gotta go get our bags and my crossbow. Keep him safe." He was running the opposite direction before she could even respond and she only paused for a second before turning and running as smoothly as she could up the stairs after the rest of the group. She kept looking behind her, praying that Daryl would be following soon, and one of the times she looked back she felt a body hit hers from the front. Turning quickly, she noticed that Louis had fallen behind the rest of the group, his breath coming in sharp gasps as he tried to keep going.

"Come on Lou!" Molly gasped out herself. The boy was clearly struggling and Molly could hear the others getting further away. Finally, she let out a muttered curse and made the boy turn to her, holding out her free arm to let him climb and sit on her hip. This position made it even harder to run and the added weight of the growing boy was definitely slowing her down but it wasn't like she could leave him, this was her only option. The stairwell was silent now except for the patter of her feet and hers and Louis's combined breaths.

"What the fuck's takin you so long?" came Daryl's rough voice from right behind her.

"Louis, he couldn't keep up. I couldn't just leave him behind," Molly panted.

Daryl growled and took the boy from Molly, throwing him sack-of-potato style over his shoulder. Molly sighed in relief and quickened her pace just as a boom shook the stairs and the exit door a few steps ahead of them. Molly's eyes widened and she tore the door open to see the foyer empty, but she caught sight of Rick and Shane helping Amy and Carol down from a shattered window.

"Rick!" Molly yelled so that he didn't leave them behind. The former officer's head shot up and a clear look of relief crossed his features when he saw the two with Louis and the baby. He took the boy from Daryl as Shane reached up to help Molly down from the windowsill.

Molly sighed in relief to be out of the building but the walkers gathering outside gave her pause.

"Come on," Daryl demanded, grabbing her hand with his left and pulling his knife with his right.

The stragglers ran after the rest of the group, who were gathered outside the RV apparently trying to make sure everyone was there before they scattered to vehicles. Molly heard Miranda yelling frantically, clearly unaware that Louis had been left behind or that he was being carried toward her now.

"Miranda," Molly was able to gasp out when they got closer. The frantic mother whipped her head around to focus on Molly but caught sight of her son in Shane's arms.

"Louis," she cried, running over and hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much for bringing him. I looked away for one second and he wasn't beside me anymore," she explained.

Shane shook his head, "don't thank me. I didn't know he was missing until he came through the stairwell door over Daryl's shoulder as we were leaving the building."

When Miranda's eyes shifted to Daryl, he grunted, "weren't me neither. Molly carried him up the stairs until I caught up. You got her to thank for your kid's life."

Miranda grabbed Molly in a tight hug just as the building behind them blew up. Immediately the men of the group were pushing the women and children to the ground and covering them as best they could. The vehicles would have been safer, but with all the worry over Louis they hadn't had a chance to get inside before the explosion. Molly could feel Daryl's arms around her, shielding her and Keegan from the heat and any debris that might make it to them.

Once the aftershocks and active explosions had subsided the survivors got to their feet, taking in the destroyed building that had been their safe haven just moments ago. The growls and groans of walkers broke them from their collective thoughts and they all rushed into the vehicles before the dead creatures could get too close.

Daryl threw their bags in the back of the truck and opened the passenger door for Molly. Once she and Keegan were in, he shut the door and ran around to the driver's side. Molly sighed, leaned her head against the back window and closed her eyes. The escape had really taken a toll on her and she was still trying to regain her breath and enough energy to stay lucid.

"You alright?" Daryl asked, looking over at her for a second before turning his eyes back to the road. He had no idea where Rick and Shane were going to drag them now, but he didn't really care at the moment.

Molly nodded, her eyes still closed. "Yeah, just need a minute to catch my breath. Louis isn't exactly a small boy and I'm not exactly very strong."

"Yeah, but you saved that kid's life. Weren't for you, he would be a charred bit of bacon."

A smile appeared on Molly's face and she opened her eyes to look at him. "You have an uncanny way of making me smile when I just want to sleep, or cry. Thanks Daryl, we might all have died in there if you hadn't showed up when you did."

Daryl shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise.

About half an hour later Rick pulled to a stop at the front of the caravan. Daryl put the truck in park and turned it off before hopping from his seat. Molly looked down at Keegan's sleeping form before shifting him in her arms and getting out on her side. Everyone was gathered near the RV and Rick was saying something about dropping some cars as she walked up. It put her on edge when she realized that Daryl was leaving his truck behind and she would have to ride with someone else as they travelled. She'd gotten so used to being near him all the time that it made her uneasy to think of not being by him.

"So where are we going?" Carol asked timidly. Molly had the feeling she wouldn't even have said anything if she wasn't worried about her daughter.

"We're almost out of gas and pretty much out of food and water. We need to find somewhere safe around here, we won't make it out of the city without gas," Rick explained.

"You want us to stay here?" Lori exclaimed. "We're too close Rick, there are walkers all over. It's too dangerous!"

"There's a safe place we can go, some friends we met when we came back for Merle," Rick explained.

"Of course! G and the others at the nursing home," Glenn said with a relieved smile. When the rest of the group looked at him in confusion he blushed and explained, "they took me hostage while trying to steal Rick's guns. Turns out they're just a bunch of guys taking care of the old folks that got left behind at their nursing home. They would probably take us in, for the night at least."

Rick nodded, "that's what I'm thinking. Daryl, Shane, T-Dog, let's syphon the gas from the jeep, van, and truck and split it between the other vehicles that we're keeping. Everyone else, get any supplies out of them that we need and find room for them elsewhere."

Molly watched as everyone nodded and started following orders. There wasn't much she could do with the baby taking up her arms but she would do what she was able. A lot of supplies had been thrown in the back of Daryl's truck so that's where she headed. Daryl was there already when she got there, unstrapping the motorcycle from the truck bed.

"You gunna be okay with the kid? I can't leave the bike behind."

She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to tell him that she didn't feel safe without him beside her. But she knew Merle's motorcycle was important to him, like her hair was to her. She couldn't ask him to leave it behind just so they could sit in the same vehicle together. "We'll be fine. I'm going to see if there's room for us in the RV, I want to make sure Amy's okay."

Daryl nodded before looking around at the bags of supplies scattered around him and grabbing one that he knew was full of formula and other baby necessities. He handed it over the edge of the truck bed to her and have her another nod to reassure her. A small smile was all she could muster in return before she headed for the RV.

"Hey Dale, is there room for me and Keegan with you?" she asked quietly.

The kind old man smiled and gestured grandly for her to climb the steps into the mobile home, "we would be honored to have you and the baby accompany us."

Molly gave him a big appreciative smile before walking up the steps and taking a seat at the very back of the RV. Amy got on after her and came to sit beside her, still looking rather hungover.

"You alright?" Molly asked, holding out some kind of rattle-y toy and shaking it for the baby in her lap.

"Just a little headache. Molly, can I tell you something without you telling anyone else?" the blonde whispered, pulling her legs up onto the bed so she could wrap her arms around her knees.

"Of course, you can tell me anything Amy," Molly assured her, placing the toy in Keegan's hands so she could focus on her grieving friend.

"When Jenner told us that the building was going to explode…I hoped he wouldn't let us out," she said desolately. "Just for a second I hoped we would be stuck there and this nightmare would be over."

Molly could feel her lower jaw fall open a little as she stared at Amy. Before the other girl could look at her, Molly forced her face into a neutral look before saying, "well, you just lost your sister, Amy. You're sad and wondering what to do now that your family is… I imagine it's a natural feeling after all you've been through."

Amy shook her head, "no, I've never been that girl before Molly! I might seem all girly and fragile, but I'm not. I mean, I was pretty girly, but I wasn't afraid of anything before. I didn't mind walking home alone in the dark or being left at a club by my friends or anything that a lot of girls are afraid of. And then this happened and…I'm a complete wreck Molly. I don't want ot be this girl!"

Molly bit her lip and nodded. "Then don't be Amy. Be the strong girl that we all know you can be. Andrea would want you to be as strong as you can be. Don't let her death or any of the other bad things that have happened destroy you or the future that we could have. If you don't want to be afraid or fragile do what you have to in order to be brave and strong. Learn how to protect yourself so what happened to Andrea doesn't happen to you, ask Rick to take on more responsibility to get some confidence. Don't just sit here with me like that fragile girl you don't want to be, _be_ the girl you need to be."

By the time Molly had finished her passionate speech Amy was nodding and was sitting up straighter. "You're right Molly, I need to take my life in my hands and make myself strong. Thank you so much for the advice, and listening to my 'oh poor me' rantings."

Molly leaned over carefully to bring the other woman into a tight hug and pulled back just as the mobile home jolted to a stop.

"Alright everyone, we're here. Stay close and stay quiet, we're kinda far in the city and we don't' know what the walker situation is like here," Rick said quietly as they all gathered in a tight group.

Molly stuck in between Amy, Daryl, and Glenn as they all walked through an opening in the wall into a walled in courtyard. She, and half the others, sucked in a breath as the sight of the walkers scattered around the empty space, clearly devouring fresh bodies. Keegan apparently decided at that moment that it was too quiet in the enclosure because he let out a watery cry before Molly could quiet him.

**I hope it was okay, I felt like it was rushed and I didn't really like the second half very much. Hopefully the next one will make up for this one. Let me know what you think! I'd really, really, really love it if we could get to 55 (or higher) reviews, but I won't hold it over your heads : )**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Here's chapter 15. Took a little longer than usual because I was trying to wrap up the end. Please read the note at the bottom for an important message.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 15**

All eyes shot to the baby in Molly's arms as hungry growls filled the air. The men immediately turned their attention to the swarming walkers as Molly began rocking the baby, trying desperately to calm him even as she felt herself begin to panic as the walkers converged on them.

"Molly, make him be quiet!" Amy urged from her side. The blonde had stepped away from the other women and children to grab a broken piece of wood to use as a club but was now back at Molly's side.

"I can't, he won't stop," Molly said in a panicked tone. Her eyes snapped up as the growls intensified and a huge group of walkers stumbled their way out of the doorway on the other side of the courtyard. She wanted nothing more than to turn her back on the horrific sight coming toward her but she knew that turning away was just about the worst thing a person could do around walkers unless you were fast enough to get away. She began frantically shushing the baby as her eyes darted over the walkers.

Molly hadn't seen very many walkers since the outbreak, she'd been pretty sheltered from it all, but she did notice that most of these walkers had been elderly when they'd turned, and they all seemed relatively fresh. Even through her fear and panic she found it odd for such a high concentration of old people in one group. As far as she knew most walker groups were fairly diverse, with lots of different age groups, ethnicities, and genders.

"Must have been a breach! We gotta get outta here man!" Daryl growled to Rick as he pulled an arrow from a nearby walker.

"And go where?" Lori whimpered from near Shane.

"It doesn't matter! We can't stay here can we?" Amy demanded as she grabbed Molly's arm and started pulling her and the crying baby behind Daryl as he headed back the way they'd come. The others followed behind them, the men trying to stay in a circle around the women to protect them.

Molly sucked in a shuddering breath when she saw the hordes of walkers headed for them when they got back to the vehicles. There must have been a lot around the old nursing home because Keegan hadn't been crying for long, and there were a lot of walkers coming.

"Get them in the RV," she heard Daryl command, probably to Amy since she's the one that pushed Molly up the stairs and into the back of the vehicle. All the while Molly tried to calm the baby enough for him to stop crying and she felt her own tears welling when his crying continued despite her efforts. She and Amy watched out the back window as the walkers converged and everyone scrambled to different vehicles. Her heart clenched when she thought of Daryl, unprotected and alone on his motorcycle. The walkers had just begun slapping their hands on the back windows of the RV when Dale threw it into drive and they tore out of the alley they'd parked in. Walkers continued to come at them all the way down the street and Molly could see more coming toward them from other alleys and streets and felt the jolt of the RV swerving to get around them as the different groups started to close in on them.

"What the hell was that?" Glenn gasped from the seat next to Dale's, grabbing his hat with one hand and running his other hand through his hair several times.

"I take it that's not how it was last time you were here?" Dale asked ironically, his eyes still on the road, or more specifically on the taillights of Rick's vehicle in front of them. Walker activity seemed to have thinned a little but there were still a lot more than Molly was comfortable with.

Glenn gave a nervous, awkward chuckle and shook his head, "not exactly. It was a nice, fortified place full of happy elderly folks. There was a big group of guys too, who took care of all of them. They had great defenses; I don't understand how this could have happened."

"We thought we were safe at the quarry too," Amy chimed in from beside Molly, "and look how that turned out." She'd quickly gotten a bottle together for the baby, given it to Molly, and the baby was now sucking greedily on the nipple.

Keegan's protests were growing weaker and he finally fell asleep in the brunette's arms. Molly sniffled a little and wiped the tears from her cheeks as she gave Amy a thankful, watery smile.

"You okay?" Amy asked, rubbing Molly's arm.

Molly nodded, "yeah. I guess I just feel guilty. I mean, if I'd been keeping track of Keegan's eating schedule and maybe picked up on some of his cues I could have prevented his tantrum and saved us some of the hysteria back there. I think the tears were because I felt helpless to make him stop. I didn't have time to figure out what was wrong and I couldn't get him to stop and I thought everyone would blame me if someone got hurt."

Amy gave her a sympathetic smile and tugged on some hair that had fallen from Molly's bun. "Remember that conversation we just had about being strong? Well, you need to take your own advice Molly. You can't be this weak, frightened girl forever, especially not now. I'm not saying turn into Xena or anything, just…don't let every little thing effect you so much. Grow a thicker skin and buck up girly!"

Molly couldn't help the smile and laugh that erupted from her mouth and she nodded. "I know you're right, and I do need to work on it. I just haven't had the chance. I'm always holding Keegan and trying to stay away from the walkers to protect him. With him in my arms I can't do anything else with my hands. Maybe…maybe once we find a place to settle for a day or so I can take some time to figure my head out and get some walker-killing practice in."

Those in the RV rode in silence from then until they pulled to a stop about an hour later. The hulking shell of the Atlanta skyline had disappeared behind them with the setting sun and Molly already felt safer even though she knew there were walkers in the country too. She and Amy were the last out of the RV and she looked around in confusion when she realized that Rick was pacing frantically while Carl sobbed beside Carol's car. The short haired woman was standing with him, tears falling down her own cheeks while she tried to comfort the boy and her own daughter.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked into the silence. Daryl walked up to her and took Keegan from her arms before she could even really process what he was doing. Her heart clenched as she watched him cuddle the baby close to him, rubbing his cheek against the top of Keegan's head.

"Shane and Lori, they were in the jeep when we left the nursing home. They got separated when we were getting away," Carol said quietly, rubbing Carl's back soothingly.

Molly's mood immediately hit rock bottom. She didn't care what Amy said, it was her fault that Lori and Shane were separated. If she'd taken better care of Keegan's needs they wouldn't have been in such a hurry and they all would have been safe. She couldn't say that she was upset that Lori wouldn't be riding her all the time, but she did feel sorry for Carl and Rick, he'd just gotten his family back together. Looking around, Molly couldn't help but wonder how many of these people blamed her for Shane and Lori being left behind.

"What do we do?" Glenn asked in the voice that always told Molly that he was concerned and panicked. "We've never lost members like this, even when we lost Merle it wasn't the same. Do we hang around and see if they find us? Go back for them? Rick?!"

The former police officer was still pacing, his hat noticeably missing from his head as his hands continuously ran over his face and through his hair, over and over again. They could all hear him muttering to himself. They could only hope that he was trying to think of a plan instead of going insane.

Daryl glared at the hurting man before looking around at the rest of the group, finally giving an exasperated groan. "Looks like a gas station up the road a bit, we can go see if it looks secure enough, spend the night there and figure shit out after that. Come on y'all, ain't got all night." He handed Keegan back to Molly and headed for the motorcycle without giving anyone a chance to object.

Everyone headed for their respective vehicles and got ready to go but no one could leave yet because Rick was still on the side of the road pacing. Amy finally heaved a sigh and went out to talk to him. Eventually, after maybe five minutes, she had apparently been able to convince him to get in Carol's car, because he headed for the seat next to his son while Amy ran back to the RV.

Daryl led the way about a mile up the road and was already off the motorcycle and ready to check out the small self-serve gas station by the time anyone else was even turning their cars off. Glenn and T-Dog gathered weapons for themselves and slipped silently through the station door with Daryl in the lead. A few minutes later Glenn came to the door to give the all clear and the rest of the group ran to the building quickly.

Molly knew how unusual it was for gas stations to have small windows instead of the wall to wall giant ones, so she was exceedingly grateful that this was one of those rare buildings. However, even with the small windows, Daryl and Glenn led the group to the back of the building and through a door into a large storage room. There were still boxes of products that hadn't made it to the shelves in the main room but there was enough room for everyone to lie down. They were much safer in a room that could be locked and had no windows.

"I'm hungry," Eliza whimpered from her spot beside Miranda once they'd all settled into their chosen spots. Rick and Carl were sitting together against the wall, not talking or looking at anyone.

"We'll find something to eat," the little girl's father replied. "There has to be something left in this place. I bet most people didn't even think to look in the storage room." With those words, he, Dale, and Carol began going through boxes to see what kinds of foods they could find for everyone. Daryl was outside the door taking first watch, was actually out near the outside doors so that they didn't get trapped inside, and would be relieved by T-Dog in four hours.

She'd just laid a sleeping Keegan down beside her when Carol came over with two cans in her hand. One was Spaghetti-O's and the other was a can of Cream of Chicken soup. She gave the widow a small smile and took the Cream of Chicken from her hand along with the spoon offered to her. They'd all gotten used to eating food that was meant to be hot in its cold, uncooked form, so it did not faze her to force the strangely textured substance into her stomach.

By the time Daryl came back and took the spot on Keegan's other side, Molly was already laying on her side with her backpack as a pillow, contemplating the new outlook on life that she and Amy were planning on undertaking.

"Looks like you won't have to worry about Lori anymore," Daryl whispered, lying on his side facing her with his head propped on his arm.

"Daryl," Molly hissed, "that's a horrible thing to say! Carl and Rick are devastated! What if we never find them again?"

Daryl scoffed. "Then we'd be much better off. Those two would have just caused all kinds of contention and problems. Not just with you, but Rick woulda found out eventually that they're sleepin together and then they all woulda been too busy fightin about who got to keep the uppity harpy for themselves. Maybe you'll get some breathin room now," he replied with a smirk.

Molly considered his words. It was a very badly kept secret that Lori and Shane had taken up with each other almost instantly after reaching the quarry camp, and she could see how their affair could mess up the group dynamic, but that didn't mean she didn't feel bad for Rick and Carl, especially Carl.

"How do you think Keegan would feel if he was Carl's age and April was alive and she got separated from you both? It's not the same but it's similar enough that you should at least feel some sympathy for Carl and Rick."

Silence overtook the store room and Molly could tell that he was thinking about what she said. "Well either way, I don't think it matters very much what we think. The odds of them findin us again are even slimmer than they were when Rick found them the first time."

"Don't go around telling people things like that Daryl," Molly admonished. "People need to have hope, and telling them that we might not see Lori and Shane again will just put a damper on their spirits."

"Ya think I'm stupid? That'd just cause them all to break down cryin and shit, and no one needs that."

Molly was quiet for a minute before finally voicing the fear that was plaguing her mind, "do you think they'll blame me? For them getting left behind?"

"Why'd they do that?" Daryl asked with a confused frown.

"Keegan was crying because of me, because I wasn't paying attention to his needs. If I'd given him a bottle before we got there he wouldn't have started crying and we wouldn't have had to leave like that."

"Don't go blamin yourself for shit like that. We all had a rough couple days, I don't think anyone woulda done anything different and I don't think they blame you neither," Daryl reassured her.

Molly nodded but didn't really believe his words. It didn't matter either way, she supposed, if they did blame her there was nothing to be done about it now. It was all water under the bridge at this point.

"Well, we should probably get some sleep, long day ahead of us."

"Goodnight Daryl, and thanks," Molly whispered, tucking her hands under her head.

"Night," he replied before turning a little so he could lie on his back.

The room fell into complete silence then except for the sound of breathing and snoring. Outside the small, momentary safe haven their little group had found, the world was still as messed up as ever. The dead continued to roam, looking for the living, and the music of the new world took flight into the air as the insects came to life in the darkness.

**Alright guys, I wanted to let you all know that Part 1 of this story is now over, this was the last chapter. But, I will be continuing once I get a few chapters written ahead of time. I was contemplating just starting a new story as a sequel but it's just easier all around to just continue on this story once I get some written. However, I might change my mind about making it a separate sequel, so you should definitely follow me so that you get a notice if that's what I do. I also do not know when/if we will see Shane and Lori again ;) and I'm hoping to deviate from the show plotline more in Part 2, but still keep the same basic plot. I hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know your thoughts on the story and on how you would like the sequel to be presented to you!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Alright guys I'm back with Chapter 1 of Part II or just Chapter 16 of the whole story! Honestly, this would have probably been out sooner, but my laptop crashed and I was writing this all in an e-mail draft so I could do it on various computers and I had to wait until I had time to proofread and edit it. I hope you all like it! Also, a reviewer asked me to do some different points of view so later there will be other views besides Daryl and Molly, but that won't be for a few chapters at least. Sorry for any mistakes, feel free to point them out!**

**On a side note, I am a huge Glee fan and was shocked and saddened by the news of Cory Monteith's death. I can't imagine the show without him. RIP Cory.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 16**

The morning after the loss of Lori and Shane was a somber one for the struggling group. Rick and Carl were still not talking, whether on purpose or if they were just in too much shock to respond to anyone, Daryl didn't know. What he did know was that with Rick out of commission that pretty much left him to make the decisions for the group. This was not a job that he particularly looked forward too. He'd always been a quiet, stand in the back of the crowd type, and now he was firmly in the spotlight.

"Alright guys, we need to make some tough decisions now," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. They had stripped the small gas station of everything that could be remotely useful and were not gathered by the vehicles in silence. "We need to decide if we're goin to stick around for Lori and Shane, or if we're gunna push on deeper into the country. Every minute we stay here the chances of walkers comin down on us grows. If we keep movin into less populated areas we'd have a better chance of bein safe."

"I guess the question is, do we think that Shane and Lori will have a chance of finding us? Does anyone know which way they went? When they were last seen? If they got pushed too far off the course we took they could have taken a different route out of the city and be miles from us, and that's assuming that they..." Dale cut off as he looked around at everyone. No one needed him to finish his thought. Shane's jeep was open and exposed, if he and Lori had been forced to stop at any point while escaping it was likely that they had gotten overrun and were dead by now.

Clearly most of the group hadn't been paying attention to the last car in the row because T-Dog was the only one who offered any information. "I saw the jeep in my rearview a few blocks from the nursing home. It was clear for the rest of us but a bunch walked out of a side street and cut him off. I think he went right to avoid them."

Daryl nodded, considering, "and the first turn we took was a left, so right off the bat they're off course. And we had no backup plan, no meetin place in case somethin like this happened. They would have no way of knowin where we are because we had no idea we were comin this way. I don't think we should wait for them. If they find us later great, but we can't stand here hopin they cross our path. We'll run outta food just stayin here and it's vulnerable."

No one spoke for a while, giving each other time to decide for themselves. "You're right Daryl, we should go," came a hoarse voice from the back of the group. Everyone turned to look at Rick, who was standing with his arm around Carl's shoulders, and it was clear the two had come to an agreement on the subject. At his father's words, tears began to drip from the boy's eyes but he was holding it together remarkably well, all things considered.

"Alright, let's go then," Daryl commanded, heading toward Molly to say bye to Keegan before going to the head of the caravan. "You okay with him?" he asked the brunette. His son was sitting up in her arms, looking around and waving his arms.

Molly nodded, "we should be fine, thanks for checking up on us though."

Daryl shrugged, "I feel like a dick sometimes, just leavin him with you without even askin if it's alright."

"Daryl, I love watching him for you, I'd be offended if you had to ask, and it frees you up to do important things for the group, especially now," Molly said with a laugh.

"Well, you ever want a break just tell me and I'll figure out somethin to do with him."

Molly nodded her acceptance but knew she would never ask him for a break. Keegan was her reason for going on, the thing that was her job in the group. Glenn was the go-to-towner, Daryl was the hunter, Carol was the cook and cleaner, and she was Keegan's handler. The baby gave her a purpose and it made her feel like she was doing something worthwhile when she took care of him. It had become second nature for her to pick him up when he cried or change him when he needed it. Daryl was still heavily involved when he could be, even with his other responsibilities, but most things had fallen to her to deal with.

She and Amy took up their places from yesterday in the back of the RV. Molly had come to the conclusion that she hadn't spent enough time with Miranda but there wasn't enough room in the Morales's vehicle for her and Amy, and she wasn't going to leave Amy hanging. Glenn and Dale had started up a very in-depth conversation about RV repair or something while she and Amy sat in the back and talked about what they might find in their travels. They could only hope that Daryl's theory was right about fewer walkers in the country. Everything they knew about walkers led them to believe that it was at least partially correct, smaller populations would mean fewer walkers. However, it could only be a matter of time before the city walkers started leaving the city, and Molly could only hope that they were far enough in the country by then to fly under the radar of the undead things.

They travelled for about two weeks, just wandering down the road looking for somewhere safe enough to settle for a while. If they came to an isolated gas station or something else semi fortified they would stay the night, but most nights they ended up sleeping in their vehicles on a lonely stretch of road with two people on watch at all times. Molly had gotten even better at noticing Keegan's cues and it had been days since anyone had heard a sound out of him that wasn't happy. He cooed a lot more now, and made other gurgling baby sounds when people would play with him, but he didn't cry anymore, and he had never been one for tantrums. She had begun to get the other kids involved with entertaining him, it kept their minds occupied and freed her up a little to think and do some other things when they were stopped for any period of time. He was never out of her sight, but she could tell that it was doing Carl some good to have the baby around, he even smiled sometimes now.

Losing Finn had overshadowed her grief at losing her mother, but Carl's loss had brought her own into the forefront and she couldn't imagine how difficult it must be for the boy. He was so young and it was even worse that they didn't even know if his mother was alive or not, and he had only just gotten his father back too. Carl had become her number one helper when it came to Keegan, something Daryl wasn't ecstatic about at first but finally approved when he realized that it meant the boy wasn't getting into trouble wandering off or anything.

Amy had begun to step up as a member of the group, not just as a cleaning lady, but as a defender of the group. She'd asked T-Dog for some pointers when using blunt instruments like bats, and they'd spent one of their hour long breaks from driving going over some techniques that would allow the more slightly built woman a better chance of killing the walkers. The blonde had even gone as far as to ask Daryl for help with sharp weapons like knives, and asked if he would teach her to shoot once they'd found a safe place. Molly could tell he was reluctant, having all this attention was making him even more skittish than usual, but he finally agreed when she asked if she could join in the lessons too.

It was Rick that everyone was concerned about. He'd retreated into himself after they left that gas station two weeks before and rarely talked to anyone. T-Dog had been designated to drive Carol's station wagon with Rick in the front seat and Carol, Sophia, and Carl in the back. It seemed like a bad idea to let the unstable man drive a vehicle with other people in the back seat. Molly wished there was something she could do to help him, but hadn't gotten a chance to approach him, at least not with the words she wanted to say to him.

Her chance finally came two days later when they were stopped for a bathroom break. Most of the group was right off the road in the bushes but Molly didn't need to go so she stayed by the cars, by the station wagon, where Rick was still sitting in his seat.

"Rick? How are you doing?" she asked tentatively, shifting Keegan back and forth because she knew he liked to be moving when he napped.

Rick shrugged, "Lori's gone, Carl's devastated, how should I be doing Molly?" Molly bit her lip and couldn't think of anything to say. "Not to mention everyone thinks I'm going crazy..."

"We're just concerned for you Rick, we want to help, just tell us what you need," Molly urged gently.

"I need time. Time to process what this means, how it makes me feel. Lori has been my wife since we left high school, and Shane has been my best friend since 1st grade. It's just so surreal that they aren't here right now, after we had just been talking to them. I never thought I'd lose her again."

Molly bit down on the tears that wanted to come out, she wouldn't give in to that weakness even if she was dying from the guilt. Rick must have seen the struggle she was having because he looked right at her and said, "I don't blame you for what happened Molly, and I don't think anyone else does either. I heard you and Daryl talking that night in the gas station, so I know you've been struggling with feeling guilty," he explained. "Don't feel guilty, you couldn't have anticipated that Keegan would cry and it could have been any number of other things that could have drawn them in like that, so don't let this unwarranted blame eat you up."

A sniffle and a short laugh preceded Molly's next words. "Thank you Rick, it really takes a weight off my shoulders to know that my mistake won't be held against me. I'm sorry for Lori being lost, but...I do believe that she and Shane are alive and well. Shane wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Rick nodded and they stood in silence until everyone came back and got back in the vehicles. By the end of the week Molly noticed a marked improvement in Rick's behavior. He was still quieter than usual but not by much, and he was trying to interact with everyone. He and Daryl were now sharing the burden of leading the group. She didn't know how her conversation with him had helped, but it seemed to have done so. T-Dog was even letting him drive today.

"Uh oh," Glenn said from his seat beside Dale. Molly looked up from where she'd just finished changing Keegan's diaper and putting his clothes back on correctly to see out the front window at what the problem was. A huge traffic pileup as far as her eyes could see stood in their way. Unlike other pileups they'd come across, they couldn't just drive on the grass or the other side of the road to get around, this accident spanned the entire width of the interstate and quite a ways in front of them. The other cars might be able to maneuver but the RV would have difficulty getting through.

Dale spoke to Daryl for a minute through his open window and then began carefully following the motorcycle through the maze only to be brought up short partway through as white smoke billowed from the front of the RV. Everyone piled out of the cars to see what the plan would be now, they definitely couldn't stay here.

"I might be able to find the part I need in one of these big trucks," Dale offered.

"Alright then, why don't the rest of us start going through cars and grab whatever we can," Rick ordered, taking up one of the rifles to keep watch.

Daryl came to Molly as everyone dispersed. "Stay safe and keep your eyes open, this place could be crawlin with walkers we can't see," he admonished.

"Got it boss," Molly replied with a nod and a smirk before wandering off with Keegan.

Most of the group was staying close together, which meant not much scavenging was getting done, so Molly headed off a little ways to an unsearched group of cars. The first couple cars were pretty bare, which led Molly to believe that the owners had either not known how bad things were or they'd taken all their supplies with them when they'd left their car behind. Holding Keegan and going through cars made Molly really realize how impractical it was to carry him all the time. She went through some more cars, gathering some canned good and a few tools in a discarded bag she'd found until finally she came to a car that made her gasp and step back quickly.

The gruesome sight of a baby car seat covered in blood imprinted itself into her memory as she stared at it. It took her back to the day Finn died and how similar the two deaths were and she cringed. Even though she wanted nothing more than to run from the car, she understood that a car with a baby seat probably had baby supplies too. There wasn't much in the front of the vehicle, but the trunk held a surprising bounty when it revealed a good supply of formula, a few infant toys, and lots of little boy clothes. An even bigger, more amazing surprise presented itself underneath one of the toys. It was a baby carrier that was meant to be strapped to the body and the baby could be put in the front or the back. Molly smiled at her good find but before she could pull it all the way out of the trunk she heard a growl in the distance.

**I hope you liked it! Please review and let me know your thoughts/feelings/suggestions! Sorry for the cliffhanger, it was just a good place to stop. Hopefully I can start updating regularly again soon but I still don't have my laptop so it might be a while. Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay guys, sorry for the cliffhanger last time, here's the next chapter. I am still without a laptop. We thought it was the processor, had it replaced, and now find out that the video chip went bad. So I'm still doing all my writing in a yahoo email draft until I get to work and a computer with Word on it. Hopefully this won't go on forever! Because I'm taking this story from an email draft, there might be formatting problems that I don't catch. If something happens when it's uploaded please let me know!**

**Side note I- I named Morales 'Carlos' in this story, but we never find out his real name. I will usually just call him Morales; unless Miranda is talking about or to him (it'd be weird for his wife to call him by his last name). Not really a name I picture for him but it was just a quick decision.**

**Side note II- I use the word gunna/gonna a lot in this story I think, and I apologize if I don't spell it the same every time. It's too tedious to go back and find them all to make them the same, but it's the same word.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 17**

Her head snapped up and her eyes widened in horror when she saw the horde of walkers headed her way. They clearly hadn't seen her yet and she looked around frantically for a place to hide. She didn't see anyone else and just prayed they hadn't left without her; she was quite a ways from the convoy. The walkers were coming through the cars and across the grass divider between the interstate sides so hiding behind a car wouldn't work. Looking to the side she realized that there was a guardrail and knew there must be a reason for that.

She ran stealthily to the rail, climbed over and sighed in relief when she saw a large drainage tunnel under the road. It took barely a second for her to crawl inside with Keegan and sit down with her back against the tunnel wall, her legs propped up, and Keegan firmly in her arms. The walkers stumbled passed only minutes later and she held her breath, praying Keegan would stay quiet and the walkers would hurry by.

Her feet were planted precariously on the side of the tube and her arms and legs were straining with the effort of holding herself and Keegan still. Despite her efforts, her left foot slipped from its position to hit the bottom of the tunnel. It wasn't an overly loud sound, but it echoed all the way up and down the tube and she knew before she saw it that at least one walker had heard it. The dead man had turned his head and was now making his way jerkily toward her. The first thing she did was set Keegan beside her further inside the tunnel before maneuvering onto her knees so she would have a better defensive position. After the nursing home debacle, Daryl had forced her to start carrying a knife around, but she'd used it to open a box in the baby car and forgot it in her panic to hide. She searched frantically for a weapon, not so much scared as knowing that she needed a weapon before the creature got to her.

All her hands could find was leaves, dirt, and some sticks that would not be strong enough to pierce a skull, even one as weakened by decay as a walker's. An idea came to her though and she took the thickest stick she could feel and gripped it tightly. Within seconds the walker was at the entrance of the tunnel and reaching for her. Molly's lips drew back in a snarl to match the walker's and she shoved the stick into its mouth, far enough back to become lodged but not enough that it was all the way in it's mouth passed the teeth. This successfully prevented the man from being able to use his teeth to bite her and her eyes caught on the only thing she could use as a weapon.

Gritting her teeth against what she knew she had to do, Molly surged forward silently to grab the man's head in one hand, brace with the other, and use all her body strength to shove his head onto a metal spike that once belonged with some kind of mesh covering over the tunnel opening. The metal went in easily enough but she had to shove hard two more times, practically smashing the head in, just to get it to stop moving and making sounds.

She was shocked at what she had just done; surprised that she had been able to do something she'd always thought herself incapable of accomplishing. Molly sank back against the side of the tube once again and picked up Keegan, disregarding the fact that she may be covered in walker goo. Her breathing was ragged and she almost shrieked in surprise and fear just seconds later when something wet touched her hand. She'd almost reached out and punched it before she got a good look at it. Something small, fluffy, and wiggly was in the tunnel with her. It was black and white, from what little she could see, and its nose and tongue were wet on her hand as she held the shaky appendage out. The puppy was so excited that Molly was worried it would start barking and draw attention. She laid her hand on its back and could feel how thin the poor thing was.

It probably hadn't eaten in days, maybe weeks. The flow of walkers seemed to be dying down and just as the last few went by she heard screams from above.

Molly wanted desperately to go and see what was happening, see who was in trouble, but the baby nestled against her prevented her from doing something so foolish. She resolved that she would stay put until Daryl came looking for her.

That moment came sooner than she'd anticipated and a smile tugged at her lips when she heard him calling for her over and over. The gruff redneck wasn't usually frantic or emotional, unless it came to his son. Molly wiggled her way out of the tunnel passed her dead walker and waved her arms for Daryl to see.

"Daryl, we're here," she called to him softly.

His head whipped around and he was standing in front of her before she even realized he had moved. "You alright? We didn't know where you were, no one could find you to warn you..."

"We're just fine. I saw them coming and we hid in this drainage tunnel. Just lucky it was big enough for me to get into," Molly explained as she handed Keegan over.

Daryl's eyes found the tunnel behind her and focused in on the walker immediately. "Was that bastard there when you went in?" he asked curiously.

Molly looked behind her at her handiwork before looking back at him and smirking, "no, I did that. I slipped while I was in there and he heard the echo. I didn't have anything to kill him with, I forgot my knife on the road. So I preoccupied his teeth and smashed his head on that metal spike."

She saw a new appreciation in Daryl's eyes by the end of her story and then he grinned at her. It wasn't the smirk he sometimes gave her, or the sardonic, grimace-like smile he offered to the rest of the group when he didn't feel like keeping up his bad-boy, outcast routine. This was a full-blown grin and the power of it almost tripped her up and she had trouble thinking and breathing for a moment. Her stomach was doing somersaults and she couldn't help smiling back.

"Your first walker! And you didn't even shoot it long distance. I'm damn proud of you woman, we'll make a survivor of you yet."

Molly's smile widened at the praise, she didn't get many compliments nowadays, but before she could respond, a whimpering sound drew her attention and she remembered her tunnel companion. Getting down on her knees, she called softly to the fur ball and waited patiently for it to come out. Molly wasn't sure if she would have been able to coax it out if they hadn't been trapped together.

"Look what found me in our hiding place," Molly said, carefully picking the dog up and holding it close despite the smell. "This little guy almost gave me a heart attack."

"Whatchu gunna do with a dog?" Daryl questioned, slipping Keegan into a comfortable position in one arm so he could reach out to the animal with the other. "Thing is skinny as a twig." The puppy seemed wary at first but after a moment it tentatively reached out and licked Daryl's outstretched hand.

"I'm going to keep him, feed him...he'll be a good watchdog I bet, and I'm sure Keegan would love a dog when he's old enough to appreciate it," Molly explained.

Daryl just shrugged and started back over the guardrail toward their vehicles. They were halfway there when Molly remembered the screams. "Daryl, who was screaming earlier?"

"Sophia and Eliza, they were hidin under a car like everyone else but Sophia started gettin out before the walkers were passed. Stupid girl shoulda known to stay put til someone told her otherwise. Anyway, some walkers chased her and the other girl into the woods, Rick and Morales went after them. We're just waitin for them to get back."

Molly's heart clenched. She didn't really know Sophia that well but she could only imagine what Carol was going through after just losing her husband. And little Eliza, she and Molly would sit together at the fire sometimes and Molly would braid and style the little girl's hair, or they would wander down to the lake to walk in the shallow water with their pants rolled up. Miranda was one of the best friends she'd ever had, before and after the world went to hell, and now her daughter was off in the woods somewhere.

"Molly!" Amy exclaimed when the duo had reached the rest of the group. The blonde immediately wrapped Molly in a hug, "we were so worried! We had no idea where you were!" It was only after she'd pulled away that Amy seemed to notice the animal in Molly's arms. "Oh!" she exclaimed in a different tone, her hands already outstretched for the puppy to smell her.

Molly somewhat reluctantly handed the fur ball over to her friend before going to Miranda and embracing her in a tight hug, murmuring reassuring words to her other friend. Miranda was crying a little, not sobbing like Carol, but there were still tears falling down her cheeks. "Have they come back yet?" she asked, knowing it sounded like a stupid question.

Miranda shook her head, "no, and we haven't heard anything either. What could be taking so long? It was just two walkers, Rick and Carlos should have been able to handle that right away and get back with the girls. I don't understand," the young mother said, biting her lip. Molly didn't know what to say to make her feel better, except that the two men would do everything they could, especially her husband.

A quiet laugh behind them brought the women's attention to the foursome standing back a ways. Daryl was still standing where she'd left him, cradling Keegan and apparently talking to him while Amy knelt down beside him so that Carl and Louis could pet the puppy. The sight made Molly even more thankful that the dog had found her, it took the children's minds off Sophia and Eliza in a way that helping with the baby never could. The group stood there for fifteen more minutes before they heard the bushes rustle and saw Rick and Morales coming up the bank toward them. Miranda inhaled sharply when she saw the look on her husband's face and the lack of her daughter's presence with him.

"Where are they?" Carol whimpered, holding herself as more tears fell from her eyes.

"There were some more walkers in the woods, they followed us. We had to draw them off or we all would have been gone," Rick said quietly. "We hid the girls in this cave at the stream but when we went back they were gone. Daryl, we're gunna need your help."

The redneck nodded silently, walked over to hand the baby to Molly, and hopped over the guardrail before tromping off into the woods without a word. Rick, Morales, and Glenn followed after him as backup. Molly did not believe in God, especially after all that had happened, but she prayed to whoever or whatever might be out there that everyone made it back safe.

Molly wandered back over to Amy and the boys while Miranda, Carol, T-Dog, and Dale stayed near the railing. Dale was standing on top of one of the cars though, keeping a lookout for walkers as well as those in the woods.

"So, Daryl tells me you're not a virgin anymore," Amy teased as they watched the boys pet the scrawny dog at their feet.

Molly gasped and her face turned red in mortification. "What are you talking about?!" she demanded quietly.

"He said you finally killed a walker, without a weapon too. Kudos my friend," Amy offered with a fake look of innocence. "What did you think I meant?"

"You know exactly what I thought you meant. Just so you know, Daryl and I are not a couple, and I was 'not a virgin' long before I met him or any of you," Molly defended herself, unable to stop herself from feeling embarrassed by the conversation.

Amy's blonde eyebrow arched as she examined the petite brunette. "You're not a couple? You sure act like you're together," she observed.

Molly frowned and examined one of her dirty, grimy hands, feeling bad that she was holding a baby with hands that had just been touching something dead. "No, we aren't a couple. We're just...friends I guess. I take care of Keegan when Daryl is busy, or when I feel like taking care of him, and Daryl lets me be involved in their lives."

"Molly, honey, if you saw the way you two act around each other you would know it's not just a 'friends' type relationship. He cares about you, and I can tell you care about him," Amy responded. "So what's stopping you?"

Molly bit her lip. She and Daryl had agreed not to tell each other's secrets to the group, but neither of them had mentioned their kiss since it had happened, not even to each other. She had no idea if he would want her sharing something intimate like that with Amy. After a couple minutes of contemplating, Molly rolled her shoulders to relieve some of the stiffness and shook her head, "we shouldn't be talking about this right now. Not with the girls missing and all this other stuff going on."

"Way to avoid a subject," Amy teased, but she backed off the subject. "So where'd you find him?" she asked, indicating the puppy that was now lying on the hot asphalt letting the boys rub it's stomach.

"Keegan and I hid in a drainage tunnel under the road; he was in there with us. Nearly gave us away when he touched my hand with his nose and I almost screamed. By the looks of him, he's probably starving."

"You made it to a drainage ditch? You must have really been off by yourself," Amy observed. "I was smushed under a Honda Civic with a lift-kit, thank god for that or I wouldn't have fit."

"In hindsight, I guess I had wandered kind of far. But I just thought that with everyone so packed together we would never be able to look through all the cars, we'd all just be going over ones other's had gone through. I ventured out to make sure I was finding fresh things. You guys didn't happen to find any dog food did you? Even cat food would do at this point."

Amy shook her head, "no, I don't think we have, but there are still a lot of cars. We could go search while we're waiting for them to come back. Buddy system this time though, don't want you wandering off alone again, especially with the baby."

Molly nodded and told Dale where they were going. As the two started to walk off, a pitiful whining sound caught Molly's attention. The puppy was standing between Carl and Louis, his ears droopy and his tail low but wagging a little. His deep brown eyes were fixed on her. "Hey guys, we're going to take him with us, see if we can find him some food. Stay here with Miranda and Carol alright?" Molly said to the boys. They looked disappointed but nodded and went to sit on the hood of the car Dale was standing on. Once they were situated, she looked down at the dog and slapped her thigh in a 'come' motion while saying the word too. Immediately the animal was beside her, looking up with adoring eyes and she couldn't help smiling.

"Looks like you got two babies now," Amy joked, leading the way through the cars to an area they hadn't checked yet.

"Amy, I need to go this way quick," Molly instructed, heading off to the left. Amy gave her a confused look but followed behind her nonetheless. The trunk of the 'baby car' was still open and Molly immediately located her knife when she got to it, slipping it back into its holster at her side. Then, she handed Keegan to Amy and pulled out the baby carrier that she'd noticed before. She didn't know why she'd never thought of using a sheet or something to tie Keegan to her before, but now that she had the carrier it made her feel stupid. Amy smiled and nodded approvingly when Molly finally got it on the way she wanted it and then carefully slipped the baby into the front pouch. The carrier was a little big, but that just meant Keegan could slump down into it and there was less risk of him falling out, and it would be big enough for him for a while.

"Alright, I'm ready. We just have to remember to come back for all of this stuff. The clothes look like they're a little big for him but we'll need them soon enough," Molly said, completely unused to having Keegan with her but both her hands free.

The two women continued on through the traffic snarl, going through cars as they went and putting any useful resources on top of the cars so that they could grab them easily on the way back through, and so they knew which cars they'd done. The first one they came to with dog food caused Molly to sigh in relief. She didn't know how many people would have thought to bring food for their pets, and she wasn't opposed to feeding him human food, but it was good that he would have some canine cuisine thrown into his diet. Immediately she opened the small bag of dog food, grateful that it wasn't too moldy, and poured some into the dog bowl that was in the car already. As soon as the food was in view, the puppy was on it, making it very plain just how hungry he was.

**There's chapter 17! Hope you liked it! Please review and let me know how I'm doing and if you have any ideas for the story. I think I have a general direction worked out but I'd be happy to work in some new ideas if you have any good ones! Who else saw the season 4 trailer and just about died from how awesome it looked? Can't wait for October!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Alright, here's 18. I wanted to get it out today because I won't be able to update until Monday at the earliest. Sorry for any mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 18**

They'd found three more bags of dog food, all unopened and two of them the large bags, when Daryl came looking for them. His eyes raked over Molly and at first she thought it was just to inspect the carrier she'd found for Keegan, but the longer his eyes roamed over her body, the more she began to realize that he was looking at her, not what she was wearing. Her cheeks pinked a little but she hoped it would seem like sunburn, not a blush at the attention. Part of her wondered if he was looking for possible injuries she might have obtained while out of his view, but another part hoped he was looking because he liked what he saw.

It had been weeks since the CDC and just as long since they'd kissed. They knew each other so well now that Molly was positive that he did not pity her for what had happened to her, but she couldn't bring herself to broker a discussion in which they talked about a possible relationship between them. Daryl didn't seem like that type of guy, and the only relationship she'd had was with Aaron and that had been a spur of the moment thing, she hadn't had all this time to think about it.

"Don't you know you shouldn't be runnin off like this?" he asked when he was within talking distance. The puppy had seen him right away but waited until he got to the girls before he went and began jumping onto Daryl's legs, begging to be pet or picked up. The man rolled his eyes and picked the squirming animal up, making sure to turn its head away so it couldn't lick his face.

"He was hungry," Molly said with a shrug. "Besides, we couldn't just stand there and wait for you to get back; we've been going through cars."

Daryl nodded, "I know, saw the supplies you left on the cars. I'll get T-Dog and Glenn to gather them all up. You two should get back to the RV." The way he said it made Molly think that something was wrong that they needed to help with, it wasn't his 'I'm worried so I'm going to boss you around' voice.

"Do we need to help clean the girls up?" she asked him, confused.

The usually gruff man shook his head, refusing to look at her as he said in a quiet voice, "we didn't find 'em."

"What?" Amy asked worriedly.

"Went back to where they left 'em and tried to track 'em, but we lost the trail. Somethin spooked them cus they were comin back and then they just veered off. We're gunna start a real search tomorrow. I think the ma's could use your support now," he explained in that same quiet voice.

Amy started back right away, not even waiting to see if Molly wanted to walk with her. Daryl looked at her for a second before indicating with his head that they should get moving. Molly nodded and bit back a smile when she realized that he was still holding the black and white fur ball and seemed to have every intention of carrying him all the way back.

"You find that in one of these cars?" he asked, inspecting the carrier that his son was sleeping in as they walked.

"It was in the last car I searched before the herd came through. That car is full of baby stuff that we're going to grab before we leave," she explained.

Daryl nodded before looking at her face. "You know how worried I was when we couldn't find you after that?"

"I'm sure you were worried, you worry whenever something happens and Keegan isn't with you," she whispered, her ability to speak more loudly having disappeared once their eyes connected.

"I ain't ever just worried about Keegan. Since that night at the CDC I worry about you just as much as I do about him." Daryl didn't know why he was telling her this. He'd always been a private person, and now he was starting conversations about feelings?

"Daryl," Molly whispered, coming to a stop and waiting until he stopped and turned to face her. "I worry about you too, and not just because you're Keegan's dad. But, this is a strange conversation to be having on a gridlocked interstate."

Daryl looked down at his feet for a minute, completely ignoring it when the puppy licked his chin. When he looked back up, Molly was staring at him with an inquisitive quirk to her eyebrows. "Those girls are out there lost Molly, and we don't know if we'll find 'em before it's too late. That coulda been you, lost out in the woods, and I just thought you should know that you matter to me. This ain't a world where you have the luxury of waiting years to figure out if you wanna talk about feelins; you gotta do it when you got the chance. I'm takin it now."

Before Molly could speak, Daryl had set the dog on the hood of a nearby car and his lips were on hers. His right arm wrapped firmly around her waist while his left went to the back of her neck, digging into her up-swept hair. Molly was even more grateful for the baby carrier as her own arms wrapped around his neck, one of them moving to fist itself in his unkempt hair. His tongue swept across her lips and they both moaned when she allowed him entrance to her mouth.

They were both breathless when Molly finally pulled away enough to lean her forehead against his, her eyes closed as she struggled to breath. "Wow," was all she could get out, all the thoughts in her mind too jumbled to make sense.

Daryl smirked and agreed, "Yeah. I can't promise you anythin now Molly, I ain't done this before. But you better believe that as far as other men go, there ain't none. We're gunna figure out what's between us but until then you don't be lookin at no one else, got it?" he teased.

Molly knew this was his unofficial way of staking his claim on her, and while it might have offended other girls, she found it sweet and refreshing, especially coming from a man like Daryl. She nodded against him and smiled, "no one else until we figure it out. Pinky promise?" she teased.

Daryl let out a laugh before he could contain it and slowly slipped his arms off of her. Molly couldn't help the shiver that went through her at his absence, despite the fact that it was hot as an oven on the highway. They continued walking toward the RV, the puppy had slid off the car hood and was now leading the way back, his ears straight up and his tail high, wagging as he went.

"That thing needs a name woman. Every time I see it I just think "animal, or dog, or scrawny little shit," Daryl said with a smirk.

Molly laughed, covering her mouth with one hand to quiet the sound so she didn't wake Keegan. "I'll work on it. I never had a pet as a child; my father was worried that they'd give me some disease, so I've never named anything except Finn."

Daryl looked sideways at her and then looked at the animal, considering. Depending on his breed, he was probably two or three months old, with fur that would be long and hot in the Georgia summers, perky ears, and a long bushy tail with a splash of white on the tip like a fox. He was mostly black and had four white paws. A strip of white wrapped around his shoulders and down his chest to end halfway down the underside of his belly and stretched up his chest to the lower half of his jaw. Daryl stroked the white stripe on the animal's face that ran down the middle of his head to his black nose. If Daryl had to guess he'd say the canine was part Border collie, his coloring suggested it.

"I ain't never had a pet either, except a toad that lived for about a week. My pa didn't wanna deal with more animals than just me and Merle. I guess you'll just have to wing it, when the time's right."

"I'll get to it as soon as possible Daryl, I've just been calling him puppy in my head, and that's a horrible name, especially for the ferocious guard dog he's going to be," she said with a wink.

Daryl snorted, raising his eyebrows as they watched Carl and Louis run up to the dog and pat his belly when he immediately rolled over. "My neighbor had a cat she named Mouse," Daryl offered.

Molly pursed her lips and then smiled again, "Mouse isn't really a dog name, unless it's one of those ridiculous teacup yorkie things that people used to dress up with clothes and bows."

Miranda, Morales, Carol, and Amy were all standing by the guardrail where the girls disappeared. Miranda and Carol were crying while the others tried to comfort them. Molly waved bye to Daryl before heading over to the foursome.

"Molly," Miranda crying, leaving her husband's arms so she could seek comfort from her friend. Molly hugged the other young mother tightly, but carefully so they didn't crush Keegan between them.

"I'm so sorry Miranda, but we're going out tomorrow and we'll find them, I promise," Molly whispered.

Miranda pulled back and nodded, "that's what everyone else is saying but...I can't be like that Molly. I have to believe the worst so I don't get my hopes up if they're dashed. It would crush me to hold out hope just to find her as a... or to never find her. I know Rick and Daryl will do all they can."

"Come on, let's go get you and Carol some food, and a little rest. You've both been standing here for hours and you should let your feet have some time off," Molly suggested, taking Miranda's hand and pulling her toward the RV where the others all waited.

Glenn had joined Carl and Louis with the puppy and T-Dog and Dale were trying to pull together some kind of meal. Unfortunately, most days everyone ate different things, or a bunch of things that didn't usually go together in a meal. Molly noticed Rick's absence and looked around for him in confusion. After a few minutes, she realized he was sitting on the roof of an SUV behind the RV, most likely watching for more herds so they weren't surprised again. Molly bit her lip and made a move to go to the struggling man but a hand on her upper arm stopped her.

"I'll go," Amy said quietly. "He and I have something in common I guess, with Andrea and Lori...it's not the same but I think we can still talk about it and maybe it will help him."

Molly watched her friend wander over to their troubled leader before shrugging and walking over to sit in one of the lawn chairs they'd pulled from the RV. Daryl was sitting on a car trunk beside her, holding a newly released Keegan as he swatted at the feathers on the arrow Daryl was dangling in his fingers for the boy to play with. Molly had tried to make sure it was one of Daryl's hunting arrows and not a walker arrow, she wasn't sure how he knew the difference, or if there really was one, but she felt better having put in the effort.

"So I hear you had some excitement during that herd," Dale started once everyone had some food in front of them. Molly looked around for who he was talking to until she realized he was speaking to her.

"Oh, it was nothing really. A walker found Keegan and me in the drainage tunnel and I...took him out," she ended awkwardly.

"It weren't as simple as that," Daryl interjected. "She didn't have a weapon, so she jams a stick in its mouth so it can't bite then rams its head into one of those broken metal rods from the drain cover. Must a smashed it a few times cus that head had definitely seen better days," he said with a chuckle. Molly got the distinct feeling that he was proud of what she had accomplished. It wasn't every day that someone could take out a walker without a weapon, and it was her first one to boot.

The puppy was lying on the asphalt beside her chair, Carl sitting beside him petting the fur at his neck.

Daryl had fed him again and neither of them felt guilty because he could use all the nutrition he could get, at least until he was back to a normal weight.

"So tomorrow we're going to head out as a group and beat the bush for Sophia and Eliza," Rick said, coming into the lamplight with Amy at his side. "Daryl will lead the way but we all have to keep our eyes open. We should head in soon, long day ahead." With that he headed off for Carol's station wagon.

They were all too exposed on the highway to set up tents, so they were sleeping in their cars with the windows up and doors locked, praying that they didn't get swarmed. The men and Amy had already worked out a watch schedule and T-Dog was already on top of the RV for his shift. Daryl slipped off the car and held out his free hand to help her up. Molly smiled at the gesture and followed him into the RV. The Morales family had retired to their car with Carl, they were hoping that the older boy could keep Louis occupied so he didn't worry too much about his sister. Carol retreated to the station wagon after Rick and after a moment Amy followed after her. Once Molly and Daryl entered the RV, she realized why her friend had chosen the station wagon. There was barely any room for her, Daryl, Glenn, and Dale, and she said a silent thank you to Amy for making things easier for all of them.

There were two 'beds' in the back of the RV, but really they were more like couches without backs. Then there was the table benches, but they seemed rather short and uncomfortable to sleep on to Molly.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Daryl said gruffly, offering Keegan to Molly.

"No," she said quietly. Dale had already taken a spot on one of the little beds, and Glenn was looking between the shotgun seat up front and the table benches, finally deciding on the seat up front reclined as far as possible. "We can both fit on the bed," she whispered.

None of them had changed into comfortable sleepwear because the highway was too unpredictable a place to sleep, so Daryl just shrugged and sank down on the bed to lie on his side. When Molly hesitated, shifting Keegan in her arms, he patted the mattress beside him with a smirk. Molly couldn't help smiling back and rolling her eyes before carefully lying down on her side facing away from him. It was a very intimate position, but the only one that seemed logically comfortable in their circumstances. She lay Keegan down beside her, wrapping one arm around him to make sure he stayed on the bed with them. The puppy had lain down on the floor right beside their tiny little bed and apparently fallen right to sleep. Molly sucked in a breath when she felt Daryl's arm wrap around her waist, tightening minutely as they settled down to sleep.

**The puppy is actually my own dog, with the same markings and everything and they'll share a name when Molly finally gets around to it. You'll find out later in the story that he's a Collie/Border Collie mix but I wanted to let you know ahead of time. And the sleeping arrangements might seem unrealistic but Molly just had another close call and it's their way of being close without really realizing what's happening between them.**

**So I always realize after I've uploaded a chapter that there are questions I wanted to ask you all and I forget. And then I remember when I'm driving so I can't write them down. Two questions that I'd really like your opinion on right now are **

**1. Do you want to hear from Shane/Lori every once in a while or wait until they come back into the picture? **

**2. Should I go faster/slower with Daryl and Molly's relationship? I hate stories that take forever to get them together but I don't want to rush it either. Let me know if I should keep going how I am or slow down or go faster. I'm really stumped.**

**Please review with your imput! I'd really like to get to 100 reviews by chapter 20 but I realize that's optimistic.**


	19. Chapter 19

**This is a slightly longer chapter than the last couple, I just couldn't find a good place to stop. I'm not really happy with where I did cut it off but oh well. I wanted to let everyone know that once I find a good place to slow down with the main group I might do a chapter on Lori and Shane just so everyone knows what they're up to. But that won't be for quite a while. Knowing they're alive will just have to be good enough. Sorry for any mistakes!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 19**

Molly woke to feel a strange weight wrapped around her waist and a warm, damp blowing sensation against her neck. She fought off her sleepiness, a confused furrow between her eyebrows as she took in her surroundings. When she saw the opposite side of the RV, the night before started coming back to her. She remembered lying down with Daryl and Keegan, remembered his arm wrapping around her. A blush colored her cheeks when she realized that Daryl was the first man she'd shared a bed with since Aaron had left her a year ago, and it had been the best night of sleep she'd had since the walkers had risen. She shifted a little but Daryl's arm around her tightened, holding her in place. A smile flitted around her face before she moved her hand down to make sure Keegan was alright only to feel empty air.

Gasping in shock and shooting straight up on the bed, Molly looked around, unable to see the baby anywhere. She hadn't heard him cry or anything, which was strange in itself, but if he'd fallen he most definitely would have cried.

"Wha's wrong?" Daryl grumbled sleepily from where he was still laying behind her.

"Keegan's gone," she said hurriedly. It wasn't even light out yet, usually Keegan needed to be fed around this time, and she had no idea where he could have gone.

Daryl chuckled quietly, "Blondie came in a little while ago. Kee was startin to get fussy and she took him out so you could sleep," he explained.

Molly sighed in relief before slumping back down on the bed on her back, feeling Daryl's arm underneath her head. "I can't believe I slept through that, I've been a light sleeper ever since Finn was born," she said softly.

"We were quiet. I know you're usually up with the sun and you spend all day dealin with my kid, tryin to make sure he don't put anyone in danger. I figured you could use a sleep-in, until it's time to go search anyway," he offered.

Molly snuggled her face into his neck, wrapping her arm around his neck, "thank you," she whispered.

After a moment she pulled back and Daryl's lips descended on hers immediately. Their arms wrapped around each other and his body came to lie on top of hers as the kiss deepened. Molly giggled against his lips and he pulled back to look at her in confusion. "It's just, I feel like a teenager, laying in an RV with a dashing man kissing me within an inch of my life."

Daryl grinned back, kissed her lips once more before shifting off of her to lay beside her, his shoulder acting as a pillow for her head. She moved to her right side so she was facing him and began tracing nonsensical patterns into the fabric of his shirt. Molly had no idea what either of them was doing, this all seemed way too intimate considering that they were nothing survival buddies. This was the third kiss they'd shared and neither of them had talked about what it meant for them. They lay on the bed for a while longer, feeling the sun's heat filtering throughout the small space and knowing they'd have to get up soon.

A few minutes later the door to the RV opened and they sat up quickly, moving their rumpled clothing back into place so no one thought they'd been up to any shenanigans. Amy made her way to the back, holding Keegan and smirking at the couple. Molly blushed deeply and held out her hands for the baby.

Keegan was already reaching for her when Amy handed him over, and Molly's heart warmed to know that the boy wanted to be with her. "I fed and changed him already, he should be good for a while," Amy offered.

"Thanks for taking him Amy, it was nice getting to sleep in for a while," Molly replied gratefully.

Amy laughed and teased, "I bet you did a lot of sleeping. It was Daryl's idea though. I came in to use the bathroom mirror, I had something in my eye, and he asked me to take him out," she ended seriously.

Molly looked at Daryl, who had stood up by now and was looking rather uncomfortable. "My knight in shining armor," she said with a teasing smirk before standing too and leading the way out of the RV.

Everyone except the boys and Dale were gathered in the area they'd set up the lawn chairs the night before. Someone, maybe Carol, had found a stash of canned fruit and what appeared to be some kind of cookies, which was a miracle in itself. Molly knew that most things didn't go bad right away if they were sealed tight, and so the cookies should be more or less fresh, but she was just surprised to see something like that. It seemed that when people first started looting stores and gas stations they hadn't been thinking about long term provisions, so they grabbed things like cookies and candy and potato chips instead of things that would last and provide nutrients.

Daryl was stretching his arms, clearly he had been feeling cramped in the RV, and Molly couldn't help taking in the sight of his abs as his shirt rode up. Miranda walked over by the time Molly got her eyes back into her head, offering small portions of peaches and three cookies each.

"There are more cookies, and you can have some if you want, we just thought that it might be better to save them for the boys to snack on. It might distract them for a while, maybe long enough for us to find the girls," she said with a shrug.

"No, it's fine Miranda, this is a good enough breakfast, and the boys should have what's left," Molly replied with a small head shake, giving the woman a grateful look before heading to one of the chairs with Keegan in one hand and her food in the other. Daryl took up the place he'd had last night on the car beside her.

"Where's the rat?" he asked gruffly.

Molly's brows furrowed in confusion at his words before she realized that he must be talking about her tunnel friend. A quick look around didn't reveal the small animal and she knew that she couldn't risk calling for him. She settled for a low whistle, hoping he would hear and no walkers would. Almost right away his small head with the perky ears came into view around the tire of a nearby truck and he bounced over to her, his paws on her knees as he tried to get into her lap. Keegan let out a strange squealing sound that startled Molly until she realized he was excited and laughing at the animal in his face.

Daryl was staring at his son in bewilderment, though Molly didn't know if it was because the sound he'd made was strange, or if it was because he'd recognized it as a laugh and had never heard it before. "He laughin?" he asked.

Molly nodded, "I think he likes...whatever we're going to name him," she finished lamely. She'd spent some time last night thinking about names but she couldn't think of a good one for a dog. She didn't want something generic like 'Fluffy' or 'Snowball', it had to be original.

Daryl grinned at his son before focusing on Rick as the former lawman started talking. "Alright, as soon as we can get everything together we're going to head out. We'll do it in a fanning formation, to each other's sides but within sight of each other. That way we're covering ground, have a chance of finding them, and we're not right on top of each other. Finish up breakfast and get some weapons, no guns though," he ordered.

Molly had finished eating by then and stood with the rest of the group. Daryl walked up shaking his head, "you ain't comin with," he said. "Woods ain't a place for a baby, and if he ain't goin then you ain't either. Stay here and hold the fort with Dale and the boys."

A part of her wanted to argue and tell him that she was capable of walking through some bushes, but a bigger part knew that Keegan was a liability in the forest and someone needed to stay with him. It was her choice to always be that someone. Without objecting, she nodded and wrapped one hand around Daryl's neck, playing with the hair at his nape. She searched his eyes for a moment before bringing her lips to his in a kiss. He was a little taller than her but not overwhelmingly so, so it was quite easy to just reach up that tiny bit to meet his lips. There was no way for her to know if he was okay with people seeing them, but she didn't care, and from the way he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back, she thought maybe he didn't care either.

When she pulled back, her breathing was ragged but she spoke through her breathlessness. "Be careful out there Daryl. You know the woods, but you have other people with you now, and from what happened yesterday you never know if a herd will wander through," she whispered, her eyes on his.

"I'm always careful, but if you're worried I'll be extra careful," he said with a wink before becoming serious. "It's you I'm worried about. This road is clearly a bad place to be hung up, and you'll be here with an old man, two kids, and a baby. Anythin happens, you get safe. You hear? If you can, hide in that tunnel, try to block it with somethin, or try to get in one our cars and get the hell outta here. Don't do nothin foolish cus you're thinkin about the rest of us."

Molly bit her lip, picking at loose string on Daryl's cut-off sleeve. The thought of something happening to Daryl worried her greatly, the thought of having to leave him and the rest of the group behind in the woods worried her just as much, if not more. But she knew that Daryl would want Keegan safe more than anything else, and she'd sworn to herself to protect the baby with everything she could, even her life if need be. Finally she gave a determined nod. "I promise, hiding will be our first option, but if we have to, we'll leave. If that happens, meet us at the first exit you come to back the way we came. There's an overpass there. If something happens, we'll be up in the braces under the overpass; hopefully we'll be hidden enough from passersby if we need to be."

Daryl seemed surprised by her plan, in a good way she hoped, "smart, good to have a meeting place if we get separated. Take care of the kid, huh?" he said, letting her go and starting to back away from her, following the group.

Fighting the irrational urge to cry that overcame her, Molly nodded and forced a smile, "always," she promised.

Carl and Louis came out of the Morale's family vehicle a while later, messy haired and bleary eyed. Molly had already strapped Keegan to her chest and all she had to do was get their food together and give it to the boys that were now sitting side by side in the bed of a truck. Both looked at her with sleepy but grateful looks before digging in. Carl was halfway through his food when he looked around and frowned.

"Where's my dad?" he demanded.

"Oh, um, well they already left," she replied, unsure how to go about this conversation. Carl was a strong-willed boy, his own parents had trouble dealing with him, but she wondered if that was because they paid so little attention to him and he didn't respect their orders.

"What? We were going to go with them to search for Sophia and Eliza!" Carl exclaimed.

"They wanted to let you sleep, and the woods are no place for you two. We already have two children lost Carl, none of us wanted to take a chance of you getting lost too," Molly replied.

"And we're safer here? With you, a baby, and Dale?" Carl argued angrily. "This is where we all were when they went missing! How could we be safer here with just you and Dale when everyone else is too far away if we get into trouble? At least if there was trouble in the woods we would all be with the group!"

"Carl," Molly begged, "please. Your dad wanted you to be safe, but he also gave us a very important job to do while they were gone. Do you remember after the CDC? When we were so hungry and thirsty and had no food or water?" she asked. Carl nodded petulantly. "Well, we don't want to get caught like that again do we? Our job is to go through as many cars as we can and collect all the food and water possible. They'll be gone all day, which means that gives us a lot of time to gather supplies. This job is important too Carl, because we will always need food. Will you help me?"

Carl looked like he didn't want to reply, but Louis glanced at his older friend before speaking, "I'll help you Molly. Eliza will be hungry when they get back, and maybe we can find something special for her and Sophia."

Molly smiled at the boy. He'd made another good point that she was sure Carl would understand and agree with. "Carl?" she asked persuasively.

The preteen was clearly considering his limited options of helping or sitting around their makeshift camp all day. Finally he said, "fine, I'll help too. It is an important job. Can we keep anything cool we find?" he asked, suddenly sounding excited.

"Well, it depends. Something dangerous, like a weapon, needs to be shown to your parents before you can keep it. And we have limited space, so if you find toys or something that you like, make a pile somewhere and then go through and pick out the things you like the most. Oh, and keep an eye out for dog food, this little guy will need food too," she said, bending over carefully to pet the puppy that was twining itself back and forth between her legs.

"Alright," Carl agreed, slipping off the truck bed and helping Louis down too. "Let's get going. I bet we can do all these cars before they get back!" he challenged.

"That's the spirit!" Molly laughed, grabbing a few duffle bags even though she knew they wouldn't be enough. They'd just have to use bags they might find in cars or keep emptying and refilling the ones they had. "Dale," she called up softly to the man on top of the RV. "The boys and I are going scavenging in the cars. You should be able to see at least one of us at all times, we'll be together. I'll try to make sure we're always aware of you, in case there's a problem."

"Be careful Molly," Dale admonished. A slight jerk of her head was Molly's answer before she headed off with Carl and Louis. One of the trucks they went through had a box of spray paint cans and it gave her an idea. She didn't want to be going through cars over and over because she didn't know if they'd done them yet. She took one of the cans that felt full and as they went through each car she made a neon orange spot on the trunk or back panel. Louis and Carl were doing much better at scavenging than she'd thought they would. They always looked for food and water first before looking for toys or other things that little boys found interesting. Molly made it her job to re-search the cars the boys did to find any medicinal supplies or clothes for other members of the group.

They were all sure to keep in sight of Dale and keep an eye on him just to make sure nothing was coming as they worked. They worked until lunchtime and decided to take a break. It was clear that once they were given a worthy task, the boys were like machines because they'd gotten through almost all the cars on their side of the interstate. She ignored the fact that a lot of the cars had been mostly bare, because some of them had been jam-packed with supplies, food and other things like camping gear.

Dale was still standing on the RV when they came back for a lunch break. They'd found a few cans of beef stew and Molly risked a small fire to make the boys and Dale a hot meal for the work they'd been doing. Keegan had been great all day long, she'd fed and changed him twice, and when that didn't placate him, she would take him out and play with him while the boys went through cars. She had handed the baby off to Carl while she cooked so that she could do it more quickly and he wasn't in danger of getting burned. Once the food was finished, she handed two bowls to the boys and moved Keegan to a comfortable place on a thick layer of blankets in the shade of one of the cars.

"This is delicious Molly," Dale praised from his lookout.

"Thanks Dale, but really all I did was heat it up," she responded. Keegan was still lying on his blankets but now the puppy had taken up a spot next to the baby and was looking at him almost quizzically.

"He doesn't have a name yet," Carl observed, following her line of sight.

"I know, I just can't think of anything worth naming him. The generic, every day names have been running through my head all day, but I can't decide on anything!" Molly said exasperatedly.

Louis had just shoved a spoonful of potato and broth into his mouth when he said, "you know what he looks like? A bear. You know, one of those little baby black bears? He's all fluffy, and mostly black..."

Molly looked between the fluffy puppy and the little boy and started laughing. "Louis, that's brilliant! And it totally fits! Thank you," she said, patting the boy affectionately on the back.

**Again, I wasn't really happy with this ending, but let me know how I did anyway! I'd really like to get to 100 reviews and I appreciated all the feedback you've given me, especially last chapter. Bear is the name of my real life collie/border collie and the puppy in this story is my dog (my Bear is about 3 years old though).**

**New question, I've had some people give their opinion on what should happen with Sophia and Eliza. Most commonly, people want them both to be okay. I'd like to know what the more popular direction is, should they both live? Just one, if so which one? I have it kind of written out already, I'm at that point in the story anyway and could still go either way, but I wanted to know what you all wanted.**

**Just a note, Carol and Sophia, and T-Dog, and the Morales family and even Dale are mostly secondary characters who will on principle not get as much story time as the others. So if you want Sophia to live, just expect that in this story she will not get much, if any, screen time.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Here's chapter 20! Last time I asked what everyone wanted me to do about Sophia and Eliza. At the time I'd already started writing my version but I could have easily changed some things around. I wanted to thank everyone for their input, it really helped me make up my mind! Sorry for any mistakes in this chapter.**

**Oh, and thank you SO much to everyone who has taken the time to review! A special thanks to **starbright37** and **mrskaz453** for reviewing almost every chapter. And a HUGE thank you to **Violet Lylybelle** for taking the time to review every single chapter to let me know what she thought!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**Chapter 20**

They had gone through every car in the snarl up by the time Daryl led the rest of the bedraggled and tired looking group back up the incline to the RV. They'd found some really good stuff and Molly was now in the process of making something like spaghetti but not really the same when Daryl walked up to her and ran his hand up and down her arm.

"Any problems?" he asked quietly.

"Nope. I was worried that Carl would run off after you guys for a while, but I distracted him and Louis with scavenging. All of these cars are done," she explained. "How did it go with you? Any problems? Any sign of them?"

Daryl looked down, examining the dirt under his fingernails before answering. "We found some more tracks that could be theirs, but there's so many bodies wanderin around now that it's hard to tell. They didn't exactly seem to be followin the path we lost yesterday. Carol's been mopin all day because we ain't found anythin, but the other one, your friend, seems to be takin it a bit better. Could just be a front though..." he responded.

"Her name is Miranda Daryl, you should really learn everyone's names soon," she said as she ladled noodles and sauce onto a bunch of different plates. She'd just done the last one when the puppy jumped up against her leg. "Oh, hi Bear," she laughed, "are you hungry?"

"Bear? You finally named him?" Daryl asked.

Molly nodded, "Yep, Louis actually suggested it but it fits him so well. And it'll be easy for Keegan to learn when he starts talking."

Daryl smirked, "thinkin of the future are we?" he asked.

A blush colored Molly's face as she turned to look at him, "oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything. I just meant he would be able to..." She trailed off, unable to formulate a way to say what she was thinking. If there was one thing she knew about Daryl Dixon, it was that he didn't do well with feelings, and he didn't like to feel trapped or tied down to something. She hadn't meant anything by what she'd said, it was just an observation, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew they needed to talk about their feelings sometime.

"Whoa, settle down woman, it ain't a big deal. I was just teasin you," Daryl interjected with a chuckle, grabbing both of her upper arms and rubbing up and down trying to ease her anxiety.

Molly sighed deeply but waited until everyone had gone passed and gotten their food before she surged forward with what she was thinking, what she needed to say to him. "Daryl, I know this isn't the right time, with Sophia and Eliza and us being stuck on this road...but I think we need to have a private talk sometime about...whatever this is between us. We definitely don't need to go into it right now," she said hurriedly when he got a slightly panicked look on his face, "I just wanted you to be aware that eventually I will want to talk about...us."

The hunter examined her face for a moment before nodding. "I'm warnin you now; I ain't good at talkin about feelins and shit. But I guess we do need to have a talk," he admitted.

"Oh don't I know it," she joked before handing him his plate and taking her own over to the thick blankets Keegan was laying on. She carefully sat down so she didn't spill and hid a smile when Daryl sat down on Keegan's other side. Bear immediately sank down on his belly beside Molly and she stroked his head for a second before eating her food.

"Molly, thank you for keeping home base together while we were gone," Rick said from across the small fire. "Carl says that you and the boys got through all these cars and collected all the food and other supplies there was. And you made us a hot meal when we got back."

Molly nodded her appreciation for the praise with a smile, "thanks Rick, we were just doing our part. Do we have a plan for tomorrow?"

Everyone looked at Rick or Daryl after her question. The man beside her just shrugged noncommittally. He had been willing to take over Rick's role when the man had his breakdown, but they hadn't been dealing with such a delicate situation then. In this case he was much more willing to stay in the background. When Rick saw that Daryl wasn't going to speak he took over.

"We followed one of the river forks today, and there's no way to know if they went that way. Daryl noticed another one on our way back, so we'll follow that tomorrow. Molly, we would like you to stay here again, we need someone here all the time just in case, and Keegan can't go out in the woods. Dale will stay with you," Rick said hesitantly, to which the old man nodded confirmation.

"And what about Carl and Louis?" Molly asked. "They helped me a lot today, but I know that they want to come with you. Will they stay with me or will they go with you tomorrow?"

"I want Louis to stay here," Miranda firmly stated. "I already have one child lost in the woods, I don't need two out there."

Rick nodded at her words and then looked at his son. Carl was staring back at him and Molly could tell they were having some kind of conversation. "I'll let you know tomorrow morning, we'll discuss it later tonight Carl," Rick said to the boy.

"You should know, Daryl and I agreed on a meeting place, in case anyone gets separated," Molly started. "We decided on the first exit back the way we came. Whoever needs to, should go there and stay up in the braces under the overpass. We're hoping they're high enough to stay out of sight and reach. After Lori and Shane, we figured we should have a place to regroup in the event of such a separation. Of course, we're hoping it never happens," she said with a strange nervous laugh, "but I thought everyone should know that we did have a plan if something bad happened."

"That's a great idea," Glenn said optimistically. Molly didn't have much contact with the Korean, but she did think he was a sweet boy, always there to help or ease tensions with humor. The brunette smiled at the young man and nodded her agreement.

"Yes, it is," Rick said quietly, "we should have thought of it before."

Molly suddenly felt bad for bringing up such a sore subject right after he'd begun to wake up from his grief again. But almost right away she decided that his pain was worth it if it saved any of their members who might get lost.

Everyone went to bed shortly after that, with the same sleeping arrangements as the night before. It was the best night of sleep Molly had had in months, and she knew it was because Daryl was behind her, holding her tightly as they slept. She remembered when she and Aaron had slept like this, before she'd told him about Finn.

It was amazing how different the two men in her life had been. Aaron, high school graduate, master's degree recipient, from an upper class family, and he'd abandoned his son. Then there was Daryl, who she was sure hadn't made it through high school, maybe not even through middle school, had no college education, and had clearly had a rough life of fending for himself. Not only had he not left a girl pregnant and alone, but after he'd done the deed - with his best friend no less - he had stuck around through the whole thing, had delivered the baby after technology and hospitals crashed, and now took care of his son in a way that seemed so unlikely for a man like him. All the movies and books portrayed men from his background as grubby, unclean heathens who were all criminals who took advantage of women and almost always had several children by different women and had abandoned all of them. Daryl was incredibly sensitive, and so smart she was surprised by everything he knew and had taught her. Sure he didn't know calculus, like Aaron had, but he knew the important things in life.

She was up with the sun, and Keegan. He didn't cry often or loudly, not since she'd figured out his schedule, but he was still very demanding when he wanted something. Daryl was still sleeping when she slipped out of the RV with the baby to see Amy on watch on the roof. Rick was awake already, pacing back and forth between two cars a few yards away, and Carol was sitting in one of the lawn chairs, staring into space. Molly couldn't imagine what the older, widowed mother was going through. She had lost Finn, but she knew exactly what happened to him. None of them knew if Sophia and Eliza were hurt, if they'd found shelter, if they were alive, dead or maybe even dead again, and she had no conception of how much it must be tearing the woman apart. Although, if Molly was honest with herself, she had to wonder why the kids were in a position to have gotten lost in the first place.

Miranda was her friend, and Carol was a nice enough person, but Molly couldn't grasp why the two girls were so far from their mothers. She had no idea what had happened on the highway, but she had to assume that the girls had wandered, or they each would have been under a car with their mother. Just as she never let Keegan out of her sight, Miranda and Carol should have been with their children the whole time. This world was too dangerous for children to be alone.

Soon enough, everyone was awake and getting ready to go. She and the boys had found lots of canned fruit in the cars they'd searched so everyone had some for a light breakfast.

"Glenn, I'd like you to stay here today," Rick said right before everyone gathered their things to leave.

"When we find the girls we're going to need to backtrack to another route, so we'll need to turn the RV around. Do you think you and Molly could move enough of these cars to make room for Dale?"

The young Korean looked uncertain, "I'm not sure Rick, we can try, but I personally am not that great with cars. And Molly's...well she's a girl," he tried laughing, "but we'll do all we can while you're gone. Good luck out there."

Rick didn't reply to the man's uncertainty, just nodded and walked away. Daryl had hung back to say goodbye to Molly and Keegan, but gave Glenn a meaningful look as he walked passed him.

Some of the cars started right up and they were able to get them out of the way. But others the two inexperienced movers spent hours trying to start or just get into neutral so they could roll it away. Molly knew this job was going to take all day, even though the area that needed to be cleared was relatively small. It was also in their job description to syphon the gas from the cars after they moved each one, and this was just adding even more time to how long it was taking. They were maybe halfway done when they came to a pale green Hyundai that started right up and ran so quietly that Molly wasn't even sure if it was still running. These cars had been sitting on the interstate for weeks, unattended and weather beaten in the hot Georgian sun. Molly didn't know much but she did feel that none of these cars should be so smooth running.

They'd been having problems with Carol's station wagon, and while this Hyundai didn't have quite the storage space, its apparent reliability and fuel efficiency would make up for it. She parked it over by Carol's station wagon at the back of the convoy to bring to everyone's attention later and packed about half of the supplies from the station wagon in the back in preparation for moving all of it.

Meanwhile, Daryl wiped his red rag across his forehead, trying to stymie the sweat beading below his hairline. He knew everyone else was getting discouraged because they hadn't found the girls yet, and even though he was doing his best, he too was feeling a bit discouraged. But there was nothing that was going to stop him from searching until they were found, dead or alive.

He could see Carol to his left a few yards away, and Amy to his right at about the same distance. He could tell they were both tired; the heat had a way of draining a person's energy. Carol's head was downcast, making Daryl wonder how she was going to keep an eye out for her daughter, and Amy was half-heartedly beating some bush branches out of her way as she walked forward. On the far side of Molly's blonde friend were Rick and Carl. The sheriff's deputy had agreed to bring his kid on the search, but only on the condition that he stick close by.

Daryl watched as Rick knelt down, probably looking at something he thought was a footprint or something else relevant to the search. And while he did that, Carl started to wander ahead of his dad. Daryl shook his head at the kid's petulance before getting back to his own search.

It wasn't five minutes later that a gunshot rang through the trees and he heard Rick's pained voice yelling for help. Immediately everyone converged on Rick and Carl, who was being held in his father's lap, blood seeping from a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Carol went to her knees beside the two and started applying pressure to the wound, taking the clean bandana that Amy held out to her. Daryl pulled his crossbow off his back and aimed it into the woods, searching for the perpetrator. A full grown buck was laying a few feet from them and he could quickly conclude what had happened.

"Who's there? Y'all better show yourself!" he growled into the trees.

A second later a large man in a baseball hat holding a rifle walked out from behind some brush. His breath was coming fast and heavy, as though he'd come running as soon as he realized what happened. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see him!" he gasped out.

"We need to get him help Rick, and we can't stay out here after that shot," Amy said calmly. Inside she was worried, gunshots weren't as easily cared for now without hospitals, but she couldn't let the now-single father know how concerned she was.

"I can help," the stranger said, "Herschel, he's a doc, he'll help your boy."

"Where?" Rick managed to get out.

"Other side of the trees here, mile maybe two. I swear, we can help him," the man pleaded.

Rick nodded, carefully getting up before bending over to pick up his son. "T-Dog, come with us, everyone else get back to the highway and hold tight. Either I'll come get you or I'll figure a way to let you know where we are."

Daryl watched Rick, T-Dog and the stranger run off into the woods. He knew Rick didn't fully trust the new guy, and that was part of the reason he took T-Dog. The black man was intimidating and would be good backup in a fight. There was also the fact that Rick's kid was about twelve years old, way too big to be carried, and now he was unconscious and dead weight. The slightly built Rick could never carry him two miles at a run, but T-Dog could help him do it.

"Alright, let's get back so we're ready when Rick comes for us," Daryl commanded, shouldering his crossbow again and resting his hand on his bowie knife.

**Alright, I wanted to point out that a reviewer asked me to do more points of view throughout the story and soon there will be Amy and Rick and Glenn joining with their views, but this is the first one that actually does kind of switch. Hopefully my page break shows up on the site so you know that the viewpoints change. If it doesn't show up please let me know!**

**Also, the braces under the overpass that I refer to look more like braces under some bridges. The cement starts about halfway up the vertical wall and then extend at an angle to some point toward the middle of the bottom of the overpass. Hopefully it makes sense, I'm being pretty lenient with this idea because I hadn't thought it through all the way, so sorry if it doesn't make much sense.**

**Please review and let me know what you think! I'd really, really, really love to get to 100 views before I post chapter 21. Thanks!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Here's chapter 21. It is a lot shorter than most chapters have been, but if I'd put the next part in too it would have been way too long. So this is what you get. Hope it's okay! ****The response I got last chapter was phenomenal! I got to 100 reviews and I got more views for that chapter than any of my other ones so far! You guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 21**

Glenn and Molly's heads shot up from under the hood of the old Ford truck they were attempting to jump start when they heard the gunshot. It was distant, so they weren't very worried that someone had found them on the interstate, but it had sounded like it came from the direction the rest of the group had gone looking for the girls.

"Dale? Do you see anything?" Glenn asked, not expecting much but needing to be sure.

The tropically-inspired old man scanned the whole perimeter with his binoculars before looking down at the pair and shaking his head, "nothing so far. But it was far away, it would take them a while to get back. I'll keep an eye out for any other unwanted visitors though."

"Can you hear the boys Dale?" Molly asked. To make car removal easier, she had elected to leave Keegan and Louis in the RV instead of deal with trying to cart the baby around with her.

"Louis is talking to Keegan, I can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but he's not crying so I think all's well in there," Dale informed her.

"You've done really well with him Molly," Glenn commented. "He almost never cries anymore, which is really good after the whole Atlanta thing."

"It's because of losing Shane and Lori that I started getting his schedule down. Anyone could have done it, Daryl's just entrusted his safety to me."

Glenn nodded. "Where do you think they are? I mean, Shane's good at this whole zombie survival business, he could keep them safe don't you think?"

Molly gave him a sad smile, "I don't know Glenn. It's so unpredictable now. I mean, they could be somewhere safe, close or far from here, or they could have gotten caught somewhere unprepared by a whole bunch of walkers. Shane may be good, but even he can't fight off a whole herd of those things and come out unscathed. Of course I'm hoping for the best, but sometimes hope isn't good enough."

"Lori was mean to you," the young Korean observed, unplugging and then plugging a spark plug back in the socket on the truck. "Do you really hope she's safe somewhere? That she'll come back and everything will be fine again?" Glenn had never really had any experience with Lori. The brunette had stuck close to Shane, her son, and the women of the camp. But he did know that she treated people like dirt, even Rick. Rick was someone that Glenn had gotten to know over the weeks since he'd rescued the man from the Atlanta tank, he was a good man who didn't deserve the way Lori had run around on him and treated him when he'd come back. She and Shane had never really made any secret of their affair, and Glenn couldn't help but think that they would have caused infinite problems if they'd stuck around. For a non-confrontational guy like Glenn, he couldn't imagine the stress that would have put on all of them.

Molly sighed, "Lori and I may not have liked each other, but I never wished her any ill will, unless she had continued to mistreat me. Besides, she's Carl's mother, and Rick's wife, she should be here with them."

Glenn shrugged, "I don't really think she cared about being Rick's wife, or Carl's mother for that matter. You're way too nice for your own good," he teased.

Their heads shot up once more when Dale whistled sharply at them. He pointed off in the distance, to the woods on the opposite side of the interstate. Molly gasped when she saw another herd of walkers coming toward them, this one possibly bigger than the last. There would be no time to get to the drainage tunnel, and the walkers would see them before they could hide in or under the cars. Mind racing, Molly made a snap decision, they had to leave immediately.

Molly took off for the RV, jumped the stairs as quickly as possible, grabbed Keegan, the diaper bag, and Louis's hand and pulled him out of the motor home again. "Dale get down, we have to go, right now," she hissed.

Dale looked like he wanted to argue but immediately climbed down from the roof and followed Molly and Glenn to the new car Molly'd found. Glenn helped Louis and Bear into the backseat and took Keegan while Molly scrawled a messy note onto the hood of a nearby car, telling Daryl to go to the exit. She'd barely finished when the first walker came around the front of the RV and saw them. She jumped into the backseat with the kids and shut the door as quietly as possible before urging Dale to turn and drive the other way.

Glenn and Molly turned in their seats to look behind them. The whole interstate had been taken over by the dead and Molly was glad she'd remembered to shut the door to the RV before they'd left, or it would probably have been infested by the dead when they went back for it. Only that first walker seemed to have seen them and it gave up the chase quickly when the car got too far away. Molly heaved a sigh, set her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. They opened again abruptly when she realized that all those walkers were now headed straight for Daryl and the others. The gunshot was no doubt what had drawn them, and they didn't look to be slowing any time soon. Her breath hitched as she thought of all their people out in the woods, unaware of the danger coming toward them, maybe unable to avoid them. There was no way the small group could take out all those walkers.

It took about half an hour to get to the exit. Dale drove the Hyundai down over the grass to park it right under the overpass. He and Glenn got out first to look around and make sure it was alright for Molly and the kids to get out. Glenn gave her a silent nod through the window and Molly gathered Keegan close to her, grabbed his bag and got quietly out of the vehicle. Louis followed, carrying a slightly squirmy Bear in his arms. There were abandoned cars here too, but fewer and farther between, as though people had simply abandoned their cars here, instead of having gotten trapped in a traffic jam.

The overpass braces were higher off the ground than she'd anticipated, she'd been expecting the ones that started almost at ground level, and was unbelievably grateful that it was too high for her to even reach the top without help. The higher up they were, the less likely a walker could get them and the more likely they might get something resembling sleep tonight. Dale kept watch as Molly and Glenn boosted Louis up and then handed Keegan and then Bear up to the little boy. After Louis, Glenn interlinked his fingers to make a stirrup for Molly to stand on so she could scrabble her way up onto the cement expanse.

"We're going to grab some food and blankets and stuff, then we'll be up," Glenn told her from down below. Molly gave herself a mental pat on the back for thinking ahead and packing some of their supplies in the new vehicle. As the young man grabbed all the supplies he could, Dale watched his back, throwing one of the bags over his shoulder before they ran back to the brace. Glenn handed the bags up to Molly before stepping into Dale's stirrup hand and taking both of Molly's so she could pull him up. Dale had no hands to step onto, so he had to stretch to reach Glenn and Molly's hands so they could pull him up. In hindsight, Molly realized that Dale should have been up first so she and Glenn could push him up, and she decided she'd store that away for future use.

Once they were all safe up above the ground and had a chance to get their bearings, Molly set about laying out blankets to make it a little more comfortable. Keegan was awake but quiet as he looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. Molly had fed him right after they made it up the brace, in case he decided to start crying, and now she and the others were eating various kinds of beans for dinner. What was left of the afternoon had already gone by and no one else had shown up. They'd stayed mostly silent, too shocked to make mindless conversation and as night fell and they finished dinner the grimness of their situation set in. They had been at the overpass for three hours and Molly couldn't imagine why none of the others had shown up, unless none of them had made it through that herd.

Dale decided to take on the responsibility of night watch, claiming an inability to sleep. He'd gone as far up the brace as he could while still being comfortable in a sitting position and Glenn and Louis had curled up next to each other with Bear between them, falling asleep almost immediately. Molly lay down beside Keegan, her back to her companions, and tried to stifle the cries that came with the darkness.

Daryl would never have taken this long to get back to his son, and she knew that could only mean one thing. Her heart squeezed in her chest at the thought that she might never see him again.

**There it is, I always thought the gunshot from Carl's accident should have drawn a couple walkers, at the very least, I just upped the ante. Also, sorry for the cliffy, it's just the best place to stop… This is my first Glenn pov chapter, and it didn't turn out as great as I'd hoped, partly because it morphed into a Molly chapter at the end. I'm not sure how many of these I'll be doing.**

**I posted this last chapter without really thinking that this is the one it really matters for. The braces under the overpass that I refer to look more like braces under some bridges. The brace starts about halfway up the wall and then extend at an angle to some point toward the middle of the bottom of the overpass. Hopefully it makes sense, I'm being pretty lenient with this idea because I hadn't thought it through all the way and now it's just there, so sorry if it doesn't make much sense.**

**Hopefully I can get the next chapter out by Thursday! Please review, I love hearing what you guys think!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, this was going to be the second half of chapter 21, but I decided to just split it up instead. I was kind of disappointed with the lack of feedback for the last chapter. I won't hold the story hostage to get more reviews but I really would appreciate some feedback. Also, read the note at the bottom, it's kind of important!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended.**

**CHAPTER 22**

Amy once again swatted at the gnats that had been circling her head since they'd turned back for the interstate. She was not used to all this physical labor in the hot humid sun. Florida was hot and humid, but she'd lived on the coast, where cool breezes lifted the miserable feeling that came with the climate. She'd been a college student when this happened, and not one of those college students that made gym visits a regular part of their schedule. The blonde had just raised her had to swipe a tree branch out of her way when Daryl's hand shot out to stop her. When she turned her head to snap at his rudeness his other hand clamped over her mouth and he pointed in front of them.

A horde of walkers was making its way through the woods toward them. Clearly the monsters hadn't seen them yet and Amy looked to Daryl for guidance, just as all the others did. The gruff man who had become one of their leaders seemed to analyze the situation more quickly than she would have expected, because it was only seconds before he was gesturing for them to follow him as he began to run as quietly as possible to the right, which was actually the left edge of the herd.

They'd run a long time, steadily being pushed back the way they'd come in order to stay ahead of the herd as they tried to find the edge to go around them. Amy felt like they'd been running for hours and her breath was coming in ragged gasps even as she tried to keep it quiet like the rest of the group. The herd wasn't actually that wide, but because they were moving at different paces, some were further ahead than others, which caused the group to have to veer around them and add time and distance to their run. Daryl held his hand up to stop them, and Amy couldn't tell if he was trying to give them a chance to rest or if they were getting boxed in. She couldn't see anything through the trees ahead, but to the left she could hear, and was beginning to see, the walkers coming forward.

"We're goin to make a dash now, once we're passed this last group I think we'll be fine to get back to the road. Stay close together and go as fast as you can," Daryl hissed to the others before heading off without another word.

Amy bit back a groan at having to go even faster. Her legs were aching and she knew she had blisters on her feet, but she supposed it was better than being eaten alive. On a whim she turned her head to look behind them and noticed Carol falling behind. The widow was probably even less used to strenuous physical activity than Amy was herself, and she was older. The blonde let Miranda and Morales get in front of her so she could fall back to run beside Carol. As they went, falling further behind as they ran, Amy saw a walker getting closer, cutting them off from Daryl and the others. Gritting her teeth, Amy ran ahead a little, pulling her knife as she went, and slammed it into the walker's head. She'd pulled it out and stood straight again by the time Carol caught up and immediately grabbed the woman's arm, dragging her forward to catch up to the others. Soon, the moans and growls of the walkers disappeared and Amy heaved a sigh when she saw Daryl come to a stop.

"What was that?" Miranda gasped, bent in half with her hands on her knees.

"They must have heard the gunshot from earlier," Daryl responded. "We can't stay here long, that herd came from the direction of the highway. I doubt they were just walking through the woods on this side, which means..." he drifted off, trying to catch his own breath.

"Which means they crossed over the interstate, right over top of Molly and the others," Amy said in horror. "We have to get back." It was with renewed resolve that what remained of the Atlanta group dashed through the woods and broke through the trees on a deserted stretch of interstate. It took a moment for Amy to realize that they'd been pushed way further up the road because they'd had to go around the walkers, so now they had to backtrack to the traffic jam to meet up with Molly, Glenn, Dale, and the kids. She prayed they were still there, unharmed and waiting for them.

Amy had never felt so tired. They'd run for at least hours through the trees, and now they had set a brisk walking pace along the road to make it back to the others. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and take a nap, but getting to Molly and Keegan was way too important to her to give in to her body's exhaustion. She looked over her shoulder to see Miranda and Morales walking just behind her, the couple giving each other strength through their clasped hands, but there were tear streaks on Miranda's dirty face and she was biting her lip against cries of worry. Amy had no conception of what the young mother must be feeling. Her daughter was lost out in the woods, and her son was - hopefully - in the middle of a traffic snarl that just got overrun by another herd of dead monsters.

In some ways, Amy was glad that Andrea had died the way she had. No, she wasn't glad her sister was dead, but at least this way she didn't have to wonder where she was, if she was alive or dead or a corpse walking around. She saw how not knowing had affected Rick, they'd had lengthy talks about it, and it was clearly affecting these two parents. These thoughts made her look ahead to Daryl, who'd taken the lead in case they came on any walkers. Amy didn't know what had happened to Keegan's mother except that she'd died, but she did know that Daryl had taken the loss of Merle hard, even if he was good at hiding it. In turn, Amy's mouth turned up in a smirk as she thought about how Molly could no doubt tell how Daryl was feeling even when no one else did. She had no idea why the two were denying their feelings, but if they didn't do something about it soon she was going to start interfering.

Darkness descended on them quickly, but luckily it was a full moon and they didn't' need to get out their flashlights to see. The darkness just gave Amy more time to think, no one was talking because they were focused on walking. No matter how much she tried to avoid the idea, the horrible thought of Molly, Glenn, Dale, Keegan, and Louis having been caught unawares plagued her the whole time they walked after night fell. The absence of sunlight seemed to bring out her morbid thoughts and she imagined them coming back to the pile-up to find all five of them dead, their bodies picked clean because there'd been so many walkers they couldn't possibly have gotten away. She knew these were only the imaginings of a scared, overactive mind, but a large part of her really expected a scene like this to be what they came upon. She really didn't see how they would have been safe, even if they'd taken shelter in the RV.

Amy had never tried to tell time at night without a watch, so she didn't know what time it was when they got back, but she did know that it had to be some time around midnight. Daryl signaled for them to walk slowly and quietly in a single file down the rows of cars. They didn't know if there'd been stragglers or even if the herd was still moving through, so the smaller and quieter they could appear the better. The RV came into view and they didn't see or hear any walkers around so Miranda ran for the large vehicle, throwing the door open in a flurry.

"They're not in here," she whimpered, practically falling down the steps as she came back out.

Daryl immediately started walking away from the group and Amy followed him, curious. Her unspoken questions were answered when he hopped the guardrail on the left and walked down the little hill to the drain tunnel Molly had taken refuge in before.

"Molly?" she heard him say at the entrance. She bit her lip when there was no reply. No voice, scuffling sounds, nothing to indicate that any of them were in the tunnel. Daryl didn't waste time hanging around there, he began to wander between the cars, obviously looking for any sign of them, or their bodies, Amy supposed. He'd taken his flashlight out now so that he wasn't leaving anything to chance.

"Where could they be?" Morales asked into the silence. "If the walkers had...we would have found their bodies by now, there's no way they would have been anything but bones after that group. And if they aren't in the RV and the tunnel what happened? All our cars are still here..."

"Do you think they ran off into the woods hoping to stay in front of them or something?" Carol asked quietly from the steps of the RV where she'd sat down.

Amy shook her head, "I think we would have seen them if they'd come into the woods."

"We'll just have to keep lookin for clues," Daryl said confidently, even though Amy was sure he was freaking out inside that tough exterior. "Look for anything they mighta dropped or anythin else. We should sleep in shifts, we're all tired but we need to be lookin too. Miranda and Carol, you help me look, then we'll take a break while Morales and Amy take a turn."

And just like that Amy realized that all of the children that had set out from Atlanta with them were injured or missing. As she wandered between vehicles looking for anything that Molly or Glenn might have dropped she wondered where they could be. The meeting place was fifteen miles, at the least, from where they were. Amy was sure that it was too far for Molly, Glenn, Dale, and little Louis to walk, and they never would have gotten far enough ahead of the walkers for them to not chase them down. By the time she, Daryl, and Miranda were meant to give up the search, none of them had found anything to indicate what had happened. None of them could figure out where they'd gone without a car.

The sun was just coming up when Amy woke to see Daryl pacing around talking to himself, and she knew instinctively that he had been at it all night; he'd never once stopped searching for some sign of his son and the girl he refused to acknowledge having feelings for. She watched him wander over to his bike and then he froze solid.

"Daryl? What is it?" she asked, going toward him.

Her voice seemed to break the spell on him, because he was moving again so quickly that it startled her and she jumped. "We gotta go, now. Pack everything up I know where they are."

Amy gasped and frowned in confusion before looking around for whatever could have drawn his attention and given him this epiphany. And right there, sprayed into the paint of a car near Daryl's bike was a message. Amy almost burst into happy tears and laughter when it told them exactly where to go. They'd all been searching the ground for blood or supplies the others might have dropped, and in the dark they wouldn't have noticed the spray paint anyway. Thinking quickly, she realized that Rick would have no idea if they'd all made it back together again, so she picked of the spray can that Molly must have used and she scrawled a note to Rick saying that the whole group would be at the exit waiting for word from him. Then she found an old t-shirt and tied it as securely as she could to the antenna of the car so it would draw Rick's attention. She knew that Molly'd been in a hurry but if she'd just left something eye-catching they would have been able to meet up with them the night before.

It didn't take long before they were flying down the interstate in the direction they'd come from and Amy's mind felt some of the stress leak away. Sophia and Eliza were still missing but Molly was safe.

**Sorry for any mistakes! And here's an Amy POV. I don't know how many 'other' points of view I'll be doing throughout the story, I'm kinda partial to Daryl and Molly but it'll just go how it goes. **

**On to the important note****….I wanted to ask all of you what kinds of plotlines/twists you do or do not want to see in this story. I've read a lot of Walking Dead stories and almost all of them end up with a similar plot twist for Daryl or Rick's love interest. For example, is pregnancy too overdone for you or is it one of the things you look for in a fic? What about memory loss or getting separated? What things are too overdone for you to want to read my version? I don't know if/when any of these things would happen in my story but I wanted to get a feel for your opinion. Remember, if you don't review with your thoughts about these things then don't get upset if I put something in that you don't want to read about!**

**Please, please, please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys, you might have noticed that this is a day late. This chapter is a little longer than the last few, partly to make up for it being late and partly because I'm going to try to buckle down and get some more written so I don't run through everything I have pre-written as quickly. Sorry for any mistakes!**

**I LOVED all the feedback from you guys about things you do and don't want to see happen to Molly and Daryl. I just want to point out and make sure you understand that those things (pregnancy, amnesia, separation…) are not happening any time soon, and probably will never happen at all. I just wanted to get a feel for what things you would not want to read about. Those three things seem to be the most popular plotline in Walking Dead stories so I just wanted to know preferences. Hope you enjoy!**

**New question at the end!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended**

**CHAPTER 23**

Rick was shocked at how difficult running with Carl in his arms was. With the combination of the sweltering heat, their malnourished diets, and Carl's dead weight in his arms, not to mention the pace he was setting, he was sure he was going to collapse at any moment.

"I can take him Rick," T-Dog panted from his side. Rick wanted to say no, say that he could do it himself, but from Otis's calculations they still had at least a mile to go and he was bone tired. He quickly but carefully handed his son over to the black man before they all resumed running. They'd gone through two fields and some more woods before coming to a wide yellow field. Rick sighed in relief when the big white house and the barns came into view. As they drew nearer, Rick saw figures walking down the steps of the house.

"Was he bit?" an old man asked in a commanding voice.

"Shot, by Otis," Rick panted. "Just an accident, but he's been like this since it happened." Rick took Carl from T-Dog before following the new stranger up the steps and into the house. He laid him on the bed that the man indicated before stepping back so he and a blonde haired woman could examine him.

"Looks like the bullet lodged in his shoulder, probably passed out from shock. I'll get the bullet out and we'll make sure he's alright."

"Thank you," Rick said quietly before slumping down in the chair the blonde woman brought into the room for him. He watched the whole process as the doctor pulled the rifle bullet from his son's flesh. T-Dog came to stand in the doorway holding a glass of water and trying to slow his own breathing as he watched the doctor work.

"I got the bullet out, luckily it stayed intact," the man said. "I'll just stitch him up and let Patricia bandage it when I'm done. He might be stiff for a while, and shouldn't use the arm, but I'd say he should make a full recovery."

"Thank you again, no one in our group is equipped for this kind of injury," Rick said in that same quiet voice.

"Your group?" the old man asked. "There's more of you?"

Rick nodded, "along with T-Dog, Carl, and myself, there's four women, three more men, another little boy, a baby, and two little girls that...well they're out in the woods lost somewhere."

The old man's face took on a surprised expression. "That's a lot of people. Where are they? Why aren't they here with you?"

"We left some people at the traffic snarl on the interstate. After Carl got hurt, the rest of those with us went back to the road, while we came here. I'm supposed to let them know where we are once I'm able to. See, we got stuck on the interstate and Sophia and Eliza ended up getting lost in the woods. We've been looking for two days, but we couldn't bring the baby out in the woods, so we had people left with our vehicles."

"It'll be a while before your boy is awake, why don't we get you and your friend something to eat while we wait?" the man headed for the door but turned back right away, "name's Herschel Greene by the way, my assistant is Patricia and her husband Otis is the oaf with the gun. You'll meet Maggie, Beth, and Jimmy later."

"Rick Grimes, this is Carl, and my friend is T-Dog. We really appreciate everything you're doing for us," Rick said as they wandered into the dining room to see dinner spread before them already. It was simple food, or it was before the world ended. Rick hadn't seen fresh vegetables in months and his mouth watered at the sight of the green beans with butter.

"Seems to me we need to help each other out more than ever now. It also helps that I can tell you're a good person. Let's eat and then we'll talk about this group of yours."

They sat down to lunch and Rick and T got to meet the farmer's daughters and young Jimmy. They were the first people they'd seen since Jenner at the CDC, and they seemed much saner than the scientist had. Once dinner was cleared away, Herschel, Rick, T-Dog, and Otis stayed at the table to talk.

"How long do you plan to search for these girls?" Herschel asked.

Rick frowned in confusion, "as long as it takes to find them. Their mothers are waiting, expecting to see their children again. We can't just give up because we haven't found them yet."

"But look at what it's doing to the rest of the group. Your son is lying in a bed with a gunshot wound, your group is divided and moral is probably low. Would it be kinder for the mothers if they got used to the idea of not seeing their daughters again?" Herschel wondered.

"There's still a chance for them. They could be holed up in a farm house near this one for all we know, just waiting for us to find them. What if they are alive and expecting us and we just give up? They'll still be waiting for us, thinking we're just having trouble finding them, never suspecting that we gave up and moved on without them. They're just little girls. Even if they're dead or walkers, we have to find them in case they're not. I won't give up on them. I understand if you don't want us to come here, once Carl is up we can leave and meet up with the others and be out of your hair, if that's what you're worried about," Rick explained.

"You're looking for some little girls?" Otis spoke up abruptly from his silent position across the table from Rick. When the exhausted father nodded Otis looked down at his hands. "Was one of them wearing a blue shirt? With shorter blonde hair?" Rick and T-Dog looked at each other before nodding. "I saw her, yesterday near the old Timothy place," he explained. "I didn't see anyone else but she disappeared in the trees before I could call out to her."

Rick was on his feet immediately. "We need to go see if they're at this place. Can you take us?" he asked the large man. When Otis nodded, he turned to Herschel, "will you tell Carl where I am, if he wakes up while we're gone? He'll understand I just want him to know."

"Of course. Be careful out there," Herschel offered before getting up and heading into the bedroom where Carl still slept.

The search party of three was out the door in minutes and headed off back the direction they'd come from, but they were headed a little right of a straight line. Rick wondered if they would have found the girls on their own had it not been for Otis, it seemed like they were headed that direction. After about half an hour of walking Otis pointed out the place he thought he'd seen Sophia.

"The old farmhouse is in this direction," he explained, walking forward, almost following the trail the girl must have set if she'd really been there. Rick tried to pick up on any footprints but he wasn't Daryl and didn't see anything unusual. After a while they found the house, it was old and rundown, giving the distinct impression of having once been white, now turned grey with age. It must have been abandoned even before the apocalypse.

Rick took it as a good sign that all the doors and windows appeared to be closed as they quietly walked up the steps and opened the front door. The building was dark, and Rick drew his gun in case of any surprises as he shuffled quietly down the hall toward the back of the house. As they came to the kitchen he noticed a can of half-eaten sardines sitting on a counter. Walkers obviously didn't eat sardines, and an adult would have eaten the whole thing even if they didn't like the slimy little fish. Only a child, used to a finicky appetite, would leave the food like that.

T-Dog and Otis fanned out to search other parts of the house and Rick went to the door off the kitchen and looked outside, making sure that no walkers were coming and looking for signs of the girls. As he gazed out into the overgrown backyard, he heard a creak behind him. He could hear Otis and T-Dog respectively in other parts of the house, so he knew this sound wasn't made by them. He looked around the small cooking space and his eyes zeroed in on a cabinet door that was moving ever so slightly.

A walker would have heard and smelled them and come charging for them immediately, but a little girl would most definitely hide from the sound of footsteps. Rick put his gun away and walked cautiously over to the cabinet. When he pulled it open slowly he gave a huge sigh of relief as Eliza's dirty, tear streaked little face came into view, holding what appeared to be a table leg tightly in her hand as a weapon.

"Eliza, are you okay sweetie?" he asked quietly.

The girl seemed to recognize him after a moment of thinking he was a walker come to eat her, and when she did, she flew out of the cupboard and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, sobbing into his shirt.

"Eliza, where is Sophia?" he asked, hoping she would talk to him. He was incredibly glad that they'd found her, but they still needed the older girl too.

The little Hispanic girl backed up a little, tears swimming in her eyes as she shook her head, "she...um, we were walking in the woods when these walkers found us, and they were so close, we couldn't really outrun them. Sophia told me to run as fast as I could; she was going to buy me time. I looked back, even though she didn't want me to, and...it, it got her," she cried sharply. "It bit her neck and she fell down and it tripped the other walkers too, but I guess the walker came loose because she got up again and grabbed my hand to run again. We got away, found this other barn thing to stay in, but she made me leave. She, didn't want me to see her like that, or to...to get hurt when she..." the little girl drifted off before snapping back to attention and becoming frantic. "But you're here now! We can go find her and make her better! She's still there waiting for me."

Rick grabbed the little girl's arm before she could escape his grasp. "No, Eliza, you know what happens when someone is bitten. We can't save her Eliza, I'm sorry sweetheart." Rick's heart clenched at his own words. After all they'd done to find the girls; they were too late to save Sophia.

"But," Eliza whimpered, her lower lip quivering with emotion. "I want to go back for her."

"When we meet up with your parents and Carol we will go find Sophia. Her mother should be with us when we find her, right?" he said convincingly.

Eliza considered for a moment before giving a teary nod, "alright, but promise we're going to get her."

Rick didn't get a chance to promise before T-Dog and Otis ran into the room. "Rick, we gotta problem," T-Dog said, pointing through one of the dining room windows they could see from the kitchen. A swarm of walkers was headed straight for the house they were in. "I think if we can make it upstairs and stay quiet we can wait them out. They shouldn't be able to smell us from there."

Eliza had seen the walkers too by now and her hand gripped Rick's so tightly that her little fingernails dug into his skin. "Alright, let's lock the doors and get upstairs, now," Rick commanded quietly, picking Eliza up fluidly and carrying her as quietly as he could up the stairs. He carried her to the bedroom furthest from the oncoming hoard and set her down on the bed, putting a finger to his lips to remind her to be quiet. T and Otis were just coming up the stairs when he went into the hallway. "Do we have enough time to put a bed frame or something in the hallway just in case?"

"I don't think so," T said breathlessly. "They'd hear us moving it. Our best bet is to stay in one of the rooms and barricade the door instead. There's a window we can climb out if we have to."

Rick nodded and led the way to the bedroom Eliza was hiding in, shutting the door firmly behind the other two men. T-Dog was already shifting the large dresser over to block the door and Rick picked up the other end so it wasn't scraping on the floor. Once that was done, Rick sat down on the bed with Eliza and wrapped an arm around the trembling girl. T-Dog stood by the window; out of view but able to see outside at the progress of the walkers. Otis was near the door, clearly listening for any sign that walkers had gotten inside.

As the creatures meandered passed the house, their moans could be heard through the window and Eliza whimpered in fear, moving even closer to Rick's side than she had been before. Rick tightened his arm around the girl and looked up at T-Dog with a silent question.

"Looks like we're gunna be here for a while. This group is even bigger than the one from the highway, and they're just wandering like they have all the time in the world. Oh wait..." T-Dog said with a tight smile.

Rick couldn't help smiling back, but he felt worry taking over as he wondered how long they would be there. Carl would wake up sometime eventually, and there'd be almost no chance for him to get back to his son anytime soon. Not to mention the rest of the group was waiting for them at the highway and would soon be wondering where they were.

"You don't have a walkie-talkie do you, to communicate with the farm?" Rick asked Otis.

The large man shook his head, "never needed one before. Besides, we wouldn't be in range here. They'll be wondering where we are soon."

Rick sighed. "We have to get out of here."

"I'll go down the hall and try to get an idea where the end of this thing is," T-Dog offered. He and Otis carefully moved the dresser out of the way and the black man moved quietly out of the room. A few minutes later a huge crashing sound brought their heads up. T-Dog ran into the room a second later, "we gotta go now!"

Rick was off the bed immediately, taking Eliza's hand in his own. They were at the top of the stairs and they could already hear the banging of hands on the doors and windows at the front of the house. "Any ideas?" he hissed.

"If we can get out the back door we might be able to get into the woods before any of them see us," Otis offered. The other two men and the little girl followed his lead and slipped down the steps to the back door. Somehow the noise T-Dog had caused had gone unnoticed by those that had already passed the house, so they were able to get onto the back porch without a problem. T-Dog went to the corner of the house and looked around the edge to see if they were clear.

After a second, he signaled for them to follow him and they made a mad dash for the woods. Eliza's smaller legs soon began to slow them down and Rick swept her up in his arms so he could run faster. It didn't' matter that they were going as quietly as possible, just their presence amidst the walkers was enough to excite the corpses. There were so many of the creatures that they were getting surrounded even as they ran through the woods. T-Dog was doing his best to take them out before they completely overtook them, but his efforts weren't doing much against the ever growing crowd around them.

At one point they got trapped by a group of walkers and the three men went to work immediately, killing them left and right. Eliza stood in the middle of them, protected from the monsters but she was still rightfully terrified. They'd just started running again when they were cut off once more by another, larger pack of walkers. Rick gasped for breath before trying to ready himself for another battle.

"We can't do this," Otis gasped out. "I'll draw them off; you guys just get back to the farm."

"No! You'll never make it alone!" T-Dog said as he savagely smashed in the head of a walker that got too close.

"We don't have time to talk about this! I'm going to run back the way we came and distract them. You just keep going straight and you'll hit the farm. Try not to bring any of them back with you. If I don't make it back, tell Patricia what happened." Before they could protest, the bald man was running off, making as much noise as he could in the process.

Against his better judgment, Rick grabbed Eliza's hand and pulled her along behind him as they ran through the woods again. They hadn't gotten far when they heard the screams behind them. No matter how much Rick wanted to turn around and go back to save Otis, the little girl beside him was depending on him to get her back to her mother safely. When T-Dog looked at him in question, Rick shook his head and they continued on their way.

Eventually they came to the fields surrounding Herschel's farm. It hadn't taken them long to get beyond the unusually large herd of walkers. T-Dog stopped at the edge of the field so they could catch their breaths momentarily.

"Rick, get her up to the house and take care of her and Carl. I gotta go after Otis, help him if he's still alive," T got out through breathless pants.

"T-" Rick started, but the black man was already running back into the woods.

He sighed before gripping Eliza's hand again and heading off toward the house at a much slower pace than they'd been travelling before. It was getting darker as they walked; the sun was well on its way to setting behind the trees. The little girl was practically tripping over her own feet by the time they got to the front yard of the house and Rick had to carry her up the steps to the door.

"You found one of them?!" The brunette daughter Maggie asked, getting up from the porch swing as they reached for the door handle.

Rick nodded, "this is Eliza," he said quietly. "Has Carl woken?"

"Once, we told him you were out looking for the girls and he understood. Last time I was in he was sleeping. Why don't I get some food for Eliza while you go see him?" she suggested.

When the little girl hesitated, Rick gave her a little nudge in the back to tell her it was okay. He knew she hadn't eaten in two days, the half-eaten sardines couldn't possibly count, and she had to be starving and exhausted. After giving Maggie a nod of thanks, Rick turned for the bedroom Carl occupied, only to be called back.

"Rick, where is your friend? And Otis?" Maggie asked.

Rick looked down at his hands before looking back up to meet Maggie's eyes. "I'd rather tell you all together. After I check on Carl why don't we all meet in the dining room and I'll explain what happened?"

A frown marred the farm girl's face but she nodded nonetheless. "Alright, come on sweetie; let's get you something to eat."

Sure that he wasn't going to be interrupted again, Rick finally opened the door to Carl's room, smiling in relief when he saw his son sitting up in bed and looking at him expectantly.

"Herschel said you went to look for Sophia and Eliza," the boy said quietly.

"I did. With T-Dog and Otis, a friend of Herschel's," Rick replied.

"Did you find anything? You were gone for a while." Carl's hair was still slick with sweat from his ordeal and he was holding his arm at a strange angle, trying to ease the pain.

"Actually, we, um we found Eliza. She's in the dining room with Herschel's daughter Maggie getting something to eat."

Carl's eyes filled with happiness and he smiled widely. "You found Eliza? And Sophia? Are they okay?"

Clearly his son had misunderstood his words and he felt his heart twist a little as he corrected his son's mistake, "no Carl, we didn't find Sophia, it was just Eliza. She told me that she and Sophia got chased and Sophia tried to fend them off to give Eliza a chance to get away and she was bitten. Eliza knows where to find her, if she's still there."

"You, you mean as a walker?" the boy asked, his lip trembling at the news that his friend was clearly not coming back.

"Yes Carl, as a walker. I'm sorry buddy, but we were too late. But at least we know where she is and we can put her to rest and we won't spend our lives wondering if she'd lived after we ended the search. This is the best thing that could have happened if we weren't going to find her alive, you understand right Carl?" he asked, trying to get a handle on how his son was reacting to this news.

"I guess. I just...I really thought we were going to find them alive and we were going to go somewhere safe and be happy. I, I'm tired now. I'm going to go to bed, thanks dad," the boy said with a watery voice that told Rick he was going to cry as soon as he left the room. After kissing Carl's forehead goodnight Rick left the room and slumped down on the couch in the living room with a heavy sigh.

**So there's the Greene's and (possibly) Otis's demise. I haven't decided for sure if Eliza is right about Sophia being bitten or if her young age misconstrued things. At this point I could go either way. Once everyone is back together I might cut back on the multiple points of view, but it'll all depend on the content being covered at the time.**

**New Question****: Do you want to see Aaron come back into the story? In case you've forgotten, Aaron was Molly's boyfriend and the father of her baby Finn. And if you do want him to show up, in what capacity? Should he be a bad guy? A good guy? A Woodbury guy or from a community similar to Woodbury? Any other suggestions are welcome. I have no plans to bring him back right now but stories are fickle and change as soon are your mind does.**

**Please review! I'd love to get to 125, but I'll understand if we don't make it.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Here's the next chapter. I wish I could hold off updating until tomorrow, since I just got one out on Tuesday, but without a computer it wouldn't be until Monday that I'd get another one out. I'm almost out of pre-written material so hopefully I can spend today writing. I realized while editing this that the point of view might seem like it's both Molly and Daryl, I didn't fix it because it didn't seem like a huge problem. If you don't like it, I'm sorry.**

**I can't believe the amazing reviews you've all been giving me! I never thought this story would get such a following! I got so many new reviewers last chapter, and it's just awesome! I will be answering a couple guest reviews at the end of this chapter since I can't send them private messages. So if you're a guest, look at the bottom and I might have a response for you.**

**Note: I just wanted to make it perfectly clear that the questions I've been asking are purely to get an idea what you guys want. Right now I have absolutely no intention of any pregnancies, amnesia, length separations, or Aaron coming back. I just wanted to know what you'd want if the story took a turn in any of those directions before I got too far in.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended**

**CHAPTER 24**

Keegan began squirming and making little crying noises a little after dawn, pulling Molly from the restless, short-lived slumber she'd partaken of. She groaned as she sat up, her back protesting after sleeping on the cold concrete brace. She quietly changed and fed the baby before looking around at the others. It was amazing to think that just yesterday they'd been double in population, and now it was just them. As she looked at Glenn and Louis, Bear seemed to decide that this was the time to be up and playing. Molly smiled at the puppy's antics before laying the baby down between the two slumbering forms and shuffling up to where Dale was still keeping watch.

"Hey, I'm going to take Bear down for a bathroom break and grab a couple things for breakfast out of the car. Let me know if anything happens. I'm leaving Keegan with Glenn and Louis," she said to the older man.

"Alright, be careful down there. When you're ready to come back up just whistle," Dale responded, shifting his gun to a more comfortable position in his lap.

It took Molly a couple minutes to figure out how to get the dog down from the height, but eventually she wrapped the unwilling canine in a blanket and lowered it by the two ended. It didn't quite reach the ground and she was sorry to do it, but eventually she just had to drop him. When he wriggled out of the blanket folds with his ears up, tongue out, and tail wagging, she knew he was no worse for wear. After that, she turned around and maneuvered herself down over the edge until her hands were straining to hold her weight. She wasn't tall enough to touch the ground but when she let go she was able to stay on her feet.

Bear had clearly already gone off and done his business and was now sitting near her feet looking at her expectantly. Molly smiled sadly down at her little companion and headed over to their car. Before she went about getting human food for breakfast, she pulled out some dog food and fed Bear down here so he didn't wake the others by making noise with his bowl. She was so engrossed in finding the food that she wanted that she didn't hear Dale's warning or the sound of vehicles approaching. It wasn't until a pair of arms wrapped around her tightly from behind and she screamed that she realized she was no longer alone.

"Molly!" Amy squealed near her ear. Molly immediately stopped trying to get away and turned to her friend, wrapping her arms tightly around the other girl's neck.

"Amy! I was so worried about you, I thought you were dead," she said before she wiped a tear off her cheek.

Amy laughed, pulling away from the brunette, "well, we almost were a couple times, but we'll explain it all with the others."

Molly looked around to see Miranda, Morales, and Carol smiling at her, clearly relieved that she was alright. And there, behind the other three was Daryl, his crossbow out but his eyes locked on her, his gaze unwavering in its intensity. Her heart did a strange flutter in her chest as they took in the sight of each other, alive and well.

"Come on, Glenn and Louis should be awake by now," Molly said before leading the way over to the brace. Glenn was indeed awake and he and Dale started helping the women get up to the safe place. While the others were making their way up, Molly and Daryl hung back, looking each other over.

"You alright?" Daryl asked shortly.

Molly shrugged, "I got everyone away from the interstate before the herd overtook us. We just hung tight here waiting. We...I was expecting you to come last night, and you never showed up. I thought..." Molly's emotions overtook her and she bit her lip trying to hold back her tears.

"Ain't no reason for that," Daryl said quietly, wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb as his other hand went to the back of her neck. Before Molly could process anything, his lips were on hers again and they were kissing again. This kiss was much more primal than their others had been, because at one point in the last nine hours, they had each thought the other dead. Her right hand fisted in his hair while her left balled his shirt at the base of his spine. She could feel one of his hands deep in her hair while the other found a place at the small of her back, holding her close to him.

It wasn't until Amy wolf-whistled above them that they pulled back and realized everyone was looking at them. Molly blushed and slowly released Daryl from her clutches, smiling when he seemed just as reluctant to let her go. It took a matter of minutes for the group to pull them up onto the brace and Daryl immediately took Keegan in his arms before sitting down beside Molly with his back against the wall.

"Where are Rick, Carl, and T-Dog?" Glenn asked once they'd all greeted each other.

"Um, this guy accidently shot Carl and they took him to this doctor the guy knew," Amy explained in one of the vaguest descriptions she could possibly have given.

"That was the shot we heard!" Molly exclaimed. "Is he okay?"

"He was hit in the shoulder. Wounds like that usually aren't life threatening but we won't know until Rick comes for us here," Amy said. "Anyway, what happened with you guys? Why were all our cars left behind? Why were you driving that thing?" she indicated the Hyundai.

"Well, I set it aside when Glenn and I were moving cars because we'd been having so many problems with Carol's wagon. After we heard the gunshot this huge herd of walkers came out of the woods and there was no way we could stick around. If we'd tried to hide in the tunnel they would have seen us before we could get there, and the same goes for hiding in or under cars. And the Hyundai was at the back of the group, so it was the logical choice. I left a note and we all piled in the car and got the hell out of there," Molly explained.

Daryl nodded a little, thinking about her words, "I didn't find your note until this mornin. Because you took the new car we thought somethin bad had happened...I searched all night for a sign of where you were."

Molly glanced at Amy, who nodded with a smirk, before she spoke, "we were in a hurry and I didn't consider that it would take you so long to see it. Did you run into the walkers?"

Amy gave a strange chuckle that Molly couldn't really place. "We sure did. It took us forever just to get around them, we had to stay ahead of them but when we ended up on the highway again it was miles ahead of where you all were supposed to be. That, and not being able to find your sign, is why we were so late getting here. Couple times I thought we were going to get cut off and not make it back at all."

Molly looked around at the group. Except for Rick, Carl, and T-Dog's absence, everything seemed alright for now. Miranda, Morales, and Louis were sitting together, the little boy tucked tightly in between his parents. Molly could imagine how worried the parents had been for their child when they hadn't been at the pile-up. Glenn and Dale were sitting off to the side, listening but clearly watching for any activity outside their little haven. Carol stood away from the others, looking out at the empty road, no doubt thinking about her daughter lost in the woods. It was easy to see that the woman had very little to live for before the world ended, and then Ed died and she was free, and the one thing she did have was now lost and in danger and she couldn't do anything about it. At least the Morales family had each other to lean on. Molly smiled when she looked over at Amy. The blonde was now lounging on what had been Molly's bed, her ankles crossed and her hands up behind her head as she laid there staring at the underside of the road above them.

And then there was Daryl. He hadn't said much since they'd joined the others on the brace, but she had noticed that he was holding tightly to Keegan in his lap, and his eyes had barely left her since they'd met up again. She couldn't deny that the fact that he'd clearly been worried about her as well as Keegan gave her a warm feeling. After her night of crying in the darkness, she realized that it was stupid to hold in her feelings for him; they didn't have spare time to be elusive. And Keegan seemed very happy to have his father back, even if he hadn't really realized the man had been absent. The baby was sitting in Daryl's lap, one had wrapped around Daryl's finger and the other shaking a giraffe-shaped baby rattle Molly had found in one of the cars.

But then she thought about the people that weren't there with them. Lori and Shane left behind weeks ago in Atlanta. Eliza and Sophia lost, alone, and possibly in danger out in the woods. Carl, the little boy who was just helping her scavenge cars, shot and possibly dying. She wasn't as worried about Rick and T-Dog but they were still gone and all these people missing from the group was really starting to make her wonder how long they could do this.

"Whatchu thinkin about?" Daryl asked quietly beside her.

Molly didn't answer right away, just continued to rub Bear's belly from his spot on her unoccupied side. "I'm just wondering how long we can do this. All the people we keep losing, I just feel like it wouldn't have happened if we had a stable place like the quarry. I know we obviously needed to travel to find a place but I wish we've found a place by now. Once we find the girls and everyone is back together the kids will need stability. They need to be taking lessons, and eventually Keegan will need to learn how to crawl and walk and talk and all those things. And if we were at a permanent place you and I could maybe...figure out what's going on between us," she whispered back, looking at him to see his reaction to her confession.

His eyebrows had drawn together in a frown of consideration as he thought about her words. Finally, he nodded, "guess you're right. Kids need a place to live, and you and me really need to get...this...figured out." Molly smiled when he gestured vaguely at the two of them when he said 'this'.

"So do we stay here until Rick comes? Or do we go back to the RV and wait there? There's also the girls to think about, we should be looking for them right now," Glenn broke the comfortable silence that had fallen on the group.

Daryl rolled his eyes when everyone looked at him. He liked being in charge because he didn't have to follow other people's stupid ideas, but he hated it because everyone always wanted something from him. "I dunno. The RV is clearly in a dangerous spot, it might be safer to wait here. Me, Glenn, and Morales could still go back to the RV and start searchin again though."

"It's getting late, you should go soon if you're going to go," Amy observed.

Daryl sighed and handed Keegan over to Molly. "She's right, we're burnin daylight here. Come on guys, we leave in fifteen minutes."

Glenn and Morales stood up and started gathering some supplies they might need for the search into bags. Miranda and Louis got to their feet too and the threesome stood off to the side together saying goodbye. This would be yet another time when the family split up, and it hadn't gone so well the last time. Every time the group split up there was the potential that someone wouldn't be coming back to the others.

"Molly, you got a minute?" Daryl asked, jerking his head sideways. "I thought we could grab some more supplies from the car so you guys didn't have to leave here."

Molly nodded and handed Keegan to Amy to hold onto. Daryl shimmied down from the brace and then held out his arms for her. Molly sat down on the brace so she was closer to the ground and looked down at Daryl. She was just about to let go when an image of her slamming into the ground flashed through her mind. Daryl was looking at her with an inquisitive stare before gesturing for her again. Molly smiled, realizing that Daryl would never drop her. She carefully slid off the ledge and into Daryl's waiting arms.

"Worried I wouldn't catch you?" Daryl asked as he let her slip down his body to stand in front of him.

"Hey! It was a long fall! I could have fallen on you and then we would have both ended up on the ground!" Molly replied with mock indignation. Daryl smirked at her before leading her off away from the prying eyes of the rest of the group. "Um, the car is that way," Molly said, pointed behind them.

"I know, I ain't blind," Daryl grumbled. "Just thought we might have a couple minutes alone before I leave, again."

"Aw, Daryl that's so sweet!" Molly teased.

Daryl rolled his eyes and led her further away and behind a minivan that obstructed any view the others might get of them. "I want you to be careful while I'm gone. Don't come down from that perch until I get back. I...it's too dangerous and it'll give me a coronary if you disappear again."

"I'll be careful Daryl, and I'll wait right up there with Keegan until you get back. You need to be careful too though; you'll be in a lot more danger. And we still have that conversation to look forward to sometime," she replied quietly, resting her hands on Daryl's chest and looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"Your right, I guess I better make sure I get back for that." Daryl was clearly teasing her, but she hoped he knew how very serious she was about them discussing what was happening between them.

She didn't like the uncertain _thing_ they had, she needed it to be defined by some name or distinction other than simply 'two people that apparently have chemistry and have kissed on occasion'. Daryl wasn't a 'boyfriend/girlfriend' kind of man, but there had to be a way for them to make things official for each other without putting that label on it.

Her musing was cut short when his lips came down on hers in a series of little; adorable kisses that made her heart melt and her knees weak. A long, satisfying kiss was always nice, but this one made her feel like it was taking all his strength to muster the energy needed to leave her behind again. Like each time he pulled back a little was him trying to step away from her but something kept pulling him back. The thought made her smile against his lips and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck to pull him into a hug, her face pressed firmly against his neck.

Daryl's arms constricted around her like a snake and his breath tickled her ear as he mumbled, "I gotta get goin."

They pulled apart, stared at each other for a moment, and then headed back to where Glenn and Morales were waiting by the older man's family sedan. Daryl was just about to start boosting Molly up onto the brace when an idea came to him.

"Hey, before we leave, help me push this van over here. It takes too much time to help each other up and down from there," he said, pointing up. "If we move this van, we won't need to depend on each other; it's high enough to get up alone."

The others nodded and went to work pushing the white van into a good position. Then, Molly scrambled up onto the hood and then the roof and grinned when she could reach the top of the brace alone. Walkers might be able to get onto the van, but it would be nearly impossible for them to get up onto the brace. Once she was safely up and holding Keegan in her arms again, she waved down at Daryl and watched him, Glenn, and Morales drive away.

**Giselleflowers – chapter 22 review: I hoped that someone might comment on how Molly is not the typical OC. Almost all the Walking Dead stories I read have a very, very strong female that ends up with Daryl, and while there's nothing wrong with that, having it repeat itself over and over again gets repetitive and predictable. I wanted Molly to be a character that started out as a very average girl when the walkers rose so that she could build up her skills and badass-ness like any of the rest of us would be forced to do. Thanks for commenting on it and taking the time to comment at all!**

**Sefura – chapter 23 review: I didn't catch that Nicole slip before, and I have absolutely no idea why it's there, I never even contemplated using the name Nicole…thanks for bringing it to my attention, I probably won't go back and fix it just because I've had bad experiences with trying to edit the beginning of a story while in the middle of it lol! I also agree with your thoughts on Aaron, it can get boring and is extremely cliché which was why I asked everyone for their opinion on the matter. I didn't want to jump on the wagon if all my readers were going to roll their eyes and say 'here we go again'. Thanks for catching my slip and for leaving such a well thought out review!**

**Thanks for reading and review with thoughts and ideas for future adventures for Daryl, Molly, and the rest of the group! Let's shoot for 150 this time! New chapter Monday!**


	25. Chapter 25

**This should have been out yesterday but alas it wasn't. I'll try to keep updating Monday and Thursday but like I've said I'm running out of pre-written stuff so I'm trying to get ahead of the updates again. I just did a quick run through for editing so I'm sorry for any mistakes!**

**If these next few chapters seem kind of jumbled together it's because they kind of are. I get just as impatient with my own writing as I do with other people's so I really just want to get to the good stuff instead of write the stuff I think of as 'filler' material. Anyway, I hope you continue to like the story all the same!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended**

**CHAPTER 25**

Rick left Carl's room the next morning with a relaxed shoulder shrug. He'd spent the night on the couch in the living room and it was the most comfortable bed he'd had since he'd stayed with Morgan and Dwayne in King County. When he'd woken, Maggie told him that Carl was awake and asking for him. They spent an hour in the guest bedroom eating some eggs and toast that was clearly homemade talking about anything except the walkers, Lori, or Sophia. Carl clearly didn't want to talk about any of that, so they focused on the rest of the group and what they might be doing now. When Eliza came in to sit with Carl, Rick got to his feet and left them alone.

"Hey, how's he doing?" T-Dog asked from the dining room table where he was reading, a glass of water sitting on the table in front of him forming a sweat ring on the place mat.

"Seems fine, he'll probably be on his feet by this afternoon. Hershel just wants him to lay low for a little while so he can gain some strength. In the meantime, I have to go get the others. They'll be wondering where we are and we shouldn't be split up like this."

T-Dog nodded, "I'll watch Carl and Eliza while you're gone. But, you need to find out how to get back to the interstate. No point going wandering through the woods when there's roads to get you back there faster."

"Right," Rick agreed. He patted the black man on the shoulder before walking out onto the porch. Hershel and Maggie were just walking back from the memorial they'd made for Otis. Rick had told them what happened the night before and Patricia was still standing by her husband's memorial with Beth's arms around her for comfort. T-Dog had come back late last night, out of breath and looking a little ragged, and noticeably absent one large white man. He'd explained that he'd tried to retrace their steps back to where they'd lost Otis but he never found the man, not his body or his corpse walking around.

"Hershel, do you have a map or something that will tell me how to get to the highway?" Rick asked once the duo had climbed the steps.

"What do you need a map for?" the old man asked suspiciously. Rick couldn't quite explain the vibe the man gave off. He was clearly religious, which meant he should be kind and helpful, but he was also abrasive and obtuse in a completely unreligious way.

"I need to go back and get the rest of our group. They have to be worried about us by now, and I can't just leave them out there alone. I'd like to bring them here, just for a few days so we can regroup. Then we'll be out of your hair. We'll even camp out here on the lawn," Rick said, pointing vaguely to a spot in the yard under some tall shady trees.

Hershel looked like he didn't want to respond and Rick could only imagine that it was because the man was too polite to say he wanted them gone before they even had time to strike the first tent. Finally he just gave an uncertain nod to Rick's request.

Maggie glanced at her father before taking a step forward. "You don't need a map, I'll take you there myself. It's too dangerous to be looking at a map and watching for other things while you're driving. I know the way; it'll take twenty minutes, tops."

Without another word she headed back down the steps and over to her car. Rick nodded once to Hershel before following Maggie's lead and getting into the passenger seat of the car.

"So, you've got women and kids waiting for you? And more men?" she asked to fill the silence once Rick had gotten back in from closing the gate behind them.

"Yeah, I'm hoping everything was okay last night, that herd that overtook us came from the direction of the interstate. Poor Molly was probably freaking out trying to keep the baby quiet."

"The baby…" Maggie said absently. "How old is this baby?"

"Um…you know, I don't actually know. I'd say around three months, but we've been so long without a calendar I'm sure Daryl doesn't even know for sure anymore. We had some trouble with him crying a while back, but Molly's gotten real good at keeping him happy."

"So Daryl is the father? And Molly is the mother?" Maggie asked. No matter what her father thought, she knew these people would be around for a few days at least, and it had been so long since she'd spoken to anyone besides those already on the farm that she wanted to learn as much as she could so she could interact with them.

"Well, Daryl is the father, but Molly isn't the biological mother. Keegan's mother died shortly after he was born, Daryl came to the quarry with the baby and his brother and Molly apparently snuck her way into their lives. For all intents and purposes, she is Keegan's mother, but she didn't give birth to him, and neither she nor Daryl has acknowledged the role she's taken on."

"And is your wife with them? Waiting for you?"

"Um, no. She and my best friend got separated from us in Atlanta a few weeks ago. Keegan started crying, drew a crowd, they got lost when we got away." Rick had expected it to hurt more, talking about Lori, but it kind of felt like he was talking about the weather.

"I'm sorry. And what about Eliza? Are her parents waiting for her?" Maggie inquired.

"With any luck they will be. Miranda and Carlos should be waiting with their son Louis. They will be so happy when they find out Eliza is safe back at your farm."

"You were looking for another girl too though right? What about her parents? How will you tell them that not only did you not find her, but that Eliza thinks she's been infected?" Maggie asked quietly. She didn't know if she was overstepping with all her questions. But she would keep asking until she either ran out of questions or Rick told her to stop.

"Sophia's father died before we went to Atlanta. Her mother, Carol, was devastated when the girls were lost in the woods. I don't know how I can tell her the news without feeling guilty for not protecting them in the first place. Carol was an abused wife, and Sophia was the only good thing she had in her life. This will probably crush her," Rick replied just as quietly as Maggie had asked.

Maggie was quiet for a moment before forging ahead again. "So is that all of them? Seems like a pretty even mix of guys and gals."

Rick shook his head, "no. There's also Dale, an older man who's more like the grandpa and conscience of the group. He also owns the RV we travel with. Then there's Glenn. He's a tough guy in a nerd's body. Saved my life when I first met him, really great kid. And there's Amy. She lost her sister when Carol lost her husband. I think she's handling it better now and turning her grief into action by becoming stronger and less of a victim. She's actually really strong and helped me through losing Lori."

"Does someone have a crush?" Maggie asked with a smirk as she drove off of the back road and onto the interstate.

Rick blushed at her words, but he couldn't figure out if it was because she was right, or if it was because he was too old to be having crushes and the words embarrassed him. It was true that he and Amy had gotten a little closer over the weeks following the Atlanta disaster, but he had no idea if that meant anything more than what it was.

"Anyway, is that where your group is?" Maggie asked, pointing with one finger over the steering wheel. Rick brought himself out of his thought about his and Amy's potential relationship to look around him.

"Oh, yeah. The RV is right there in the middle. Looks like Molly and Glenn had some luck moving cars out of the way," Rick replied as they pulled up right behind the Morales vehicle.

They got out of the car and had only been looking around for a few minutes before three figures came around the front of the RV. Rick pulled his gun and aimed before he realized who it was, but once he did recognize Daryl, Glenn, and Morales he lowered the weapon and smiled.

"Hey! I was worried about you guys," he said, walking over to stand in front of the men. They weren't emotionally close enough to embrace each other as brothers might, but he did give them each a nod of acknowledgment.

"You shoulda been. We almost got caught in a big ass herd after your boy was shot. Took us all damn day to get back to the road. And then Molly and the kids were gone," Daryl replied gruffly.

Rick looked around more closely then and realized that no one else was coming to greet him, no one else was even there. "Oh, I… are they…?" he couldn't formulate the words he needed to make the appropriate inquiries.

"Everyone's safe, they're waitin for us at the overpass, just like we planned. We came back to start searchin for the girls again, figured just cus it wasn't safe for the women and kids to be here don't mean we can just leave them out there."

Rick sighed in relief and replied, "well, I have…somewhat good news. We got Carl to the doctor and he's going to be okay. Otis, the man who shot him, he saw Sophia running in the woods. Carlos, we found Eliza yesterday. She's waiting for us with Carl and T back at Maggie's family's farm," he said to the tall curly haired man.

Rick smiled when Morales's face broke into a huge grin and the man pulled him into a hug. He could only imagine the relief the other father was feeling, it had to be similar to how he'd felt when he knew Carl would be okay, or how he might feel if Carl had been lost and they'd found him alive and well.

"And Sophia?" Glenn asked once the two had stepped back from each other.

Rick shook his head, "we didn't find her, but Eliza said that she was bit, and that Sophia made her leave the barn they were hiding in so that she didn't get hurt when she turned. We won't know if Eliza is right until we go to that barn to see. I didn't want to go without Carol, I figured she had a right to be there when we found her."

Glenn's hopeful expression disappeared at Rick's words and he nodded. Glenn had younger sisters back in Michigan, he knew how terrified the girls must be, and he couldn't help but hope that they'd all come out of this alright.

Maggie moved up to Rick's side and cleared her throat suggestively.

"Oh, right," Rick said with a chuckle. "Guys, this is Maggie Greene, her father is the doctor. Maggie, this is Daryl Dixon, Carlos Morales, and Glenn Rhee."

**It's another shorter one I know, but it seemed like an okay place to stop and now Rick's been reunited with part of the group. Also, in the special features for Season 2, they said that Maggie was extremely forward, so I didn't think that her asking all these questions was really out of character for her.**

**I love that you all enjoy this story so much but I would appreciate more reviews than I've been getting. I think I only got 4 for the last one. I can start asking more questions if you need something specific to comment about (I have that problem when I review), just let me know what you think! I'd really like to hit 150 with this, the 25****th**** chapter.**


	26. Chapter 26

**So after two months of waiting, this chapter comes to you live from my laptop! This is excellent news for all of us because so far I've only been able to write at work, now I'll be able to do it at home and hopefully get ahead of these chapters. **

**I appreciate everyone who's favorited and followed this story, it means a lot. I wish I could send cookies to everyone who's taken the time to review. Speaking of, I didn't get the 150 I was hoping for but I won't dwell on it, thanks anyway!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended****.**

**Chapter 26**

Molly was sitting in a little circle with Louis and Miranda playing Go Fish with a deck of cards they'd found while Amy and Carol kept watch for them. Dale had laid down a while ago to get some of the sleep he'd missed the night before on duty, but he'd only gone when Molly and Amy had insisted that they could take care of things.

"Do you have any queens?" Louis asked Molly slyly.

Molly narrowed her eyes playfully at the boy and handed over the queen of spades she'd been coveting. As Louis turned to his mother to try and commandeer some of her cards as well, Molly set her cards face down so she could shift Keegan in her lap. She was sitting cross legged with Keegan in the little hole her legs created, but he'd managed to get himself scrunched down into an uncomfortable looking ball and she took this chance to gently pull him back into a sitting/laying position against her. He was crossways in her lap so that his head was on her right thigh and his feet were on her left thigh. Every time she wasn't in play she would look down at him, smile, and talk about random nonsense so he felt like he was interacting.

She'd read that babies loved to hear you talk, especially in these early months, and that it actually helped their brains develop and give them a higher IQ if they're talked to and played with. She had done this exact thing with Finn when he'd been little like this. They would sit on the floor in her tiny apartment and she would talk to him in her lap while folding laundry or going through school papers and bills. By the time the walkers began rising, she had noticed a marked difference between her son and the other children his age at the daycare. Of course, there was no sure way to know if it was because she talked to him all the time or if it was because she and Aaron had been above averagely intelligent and had passed it down.

As Miranda and Louis descended into a wrestling match over a five of diamonds that Miranda didn't want to give up, Molly's thoughts turned to Aaron and for the first time she wondered if he was still alive. She didn't love him, or even like him anymore, not after the way he had spoken to her whenever he saw her after she got pregnant, but she thought it was probably a normal train of thought to wonder if the father of her now dead child was still alive. And these thoughts led to thoughts of what he would do or say if he was alive and learned that she had let their son die. She pondered if his feelings about her and their son had changed after the world ended, if he'd tried to find and protect them.

"Hey, you okay?" Amy asked, walking over and crouching beside her holding Dale's rifle.

Molly jerked with surprise; she'd been so completely immersed in her thoughts that she didn't hear Amy walking toward her. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just…I was thinking and got distracted. Any sign of trouble?" she asked. Go Fish was clearly over, as Miranda and Louis were now having a thumb war, so Molly shifted Keegan into her arms and took Amy's hand so she could get to her feet.

"No sign of walkers or other people, if that's what you're asking. Although, if there was a whole parade of walkers below us it wouldn't matter because we're so high off the ground. This really is a great place to lay low and not worry too much about danger. There's no sign of Daryl and the others either, if that's what you were really asking," Amy replied with a wink and a smile.

Molly couldn't stop the blush that colored her cheeks, but she did roll her eyes at her blond friend. "Must you continuously tease me about Daryl?" she asked.

Amy cocked her head a little like a bird in consideration. "Well, no, I don't have to tease you; it's just fun to do. Really I'm just hoping that my teasing will get you two to pull yourselves together and do something already. Now isn't the time to be lolly-gagging around Molly. There isn't time for playing games."

It was a hot day but being on the cold shaded concrete brace made it all bearable and Molly had let her hair down for the day. This was only the second time she'd left it down since the world went to hell and she hated the greasy feel of the hair as she pushed some away from her face. They hadn't had a chance to stop and wash up since the CDC so they were all feeling a bit grimy at this point. If she left her hair up too long her scalp started to ache, so now it was splayed all over her shoulders and back and she contemplated what to tell Amy as Keegan grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked on it hard. She hissed a little at the pain but welcomed it too, because Finn used to do the exact same thing and it took her back to simpler times. Once she'd extracted the baby's hand from her hair, she looked up at Amy's expectant face.

"Well you know we're kissing now, we've kissed a couple times, and we sleep next to each other, but nothing else has happened. I told him that once we find the girls and get semi-settled somewhere we need to talk about what's happening between us and what we want to happen. So it's not like we've oblivious to each other Amy, it's that this isn't the right time to explore it."

"I didn't know you guys were even aware of the chemistry between you. I was sure I'd have to step in soon and throw you together," Amy teased. "So how is this talk going to go?"

Molly shrugged, running her finger down Keegan's cheek but pulling it back before the boy could stick it in his mouth. It wasn't dirty really, but it wasn't clean enough for a baby to be sucking on. "I don't know. Somehow we're going to get around to talking about if whatever is between us can be more than it is. I kind of just fell into the last relationship I was in and it didn't turn out very well. And Daryl is so different from other men I've known that I feel we need to talk about it and set boundaries for what we're expecting."

"Molly, Miranda, their coming!" Carol called from her station on the other side of the brace.

Molly and Miranda immediately went to Carol's side to see for themselves while Amy went to wake Dale from his nap. They could see the little line of cars and the RV coming toward them but a car at the back brought a frown to her face. She didn't recognize it and she couldn't imagine where it would have come from, but she had to trust Daryl and the others and their judgment in these matters.

Miranda was now waiting above the climbing van as Morales made his way up to her. The three men hadn't been gone very long and it made Molly wonder why they had come back so soon when they were meant to be looking for the girls. After Morales came Glenn and then Rick and a woman that was unfamiliar to them, and last but not least Daryl hopped up onto the brace and came to stand beside her. She wrapped her fingers around his hand in a gesture of greeting and happiness that he was okay but her focus at the moment was on Rick and Amy.

Molly could almost see the energy Amy was emitting as she tried to keep herself from running at the former policeman. She was a little ashamed to admit that she hadn't noticed the attraction her friend held for their leader, especially when Amy had noticed what was going on between her and Daryl. She also noticed that Rick's eyes were almost exclusively locked on Amy, seemingly assessing her to make sure she was unharmed. His eyes would stray for a couple seconds, probably to appear as though he wasn't staring at her, but Molly was watching and she saw his eyes keep coming back. A tiny flare of indignation went through her when she thought about the conversation she and Amy had just had. If she had to go forward with Daryl why was it alright for Amy not to do anything about Rick?

And then she felt ashamed all over again. The situation between her and Daryl was vastly different from that between Rick and Amy. She and Daryl were completely single, completely available to each other. Amy was just as free to see someone as they were, but Rick was a whole other story. He and Lori were still married, if the horrid witch was still alive, and therefore he should not even be looking at Amy the way he was now. How could they go forward with each other when he was a married man with a son who was smart enough to know what his father was doing to his mother if he got involved with Amy? She resolved to talk to Amy about it in private, to try to help her friend find a solution.

She came back to the present to hear Morales telling them all that Rick had found Eliza and she was just fine. A small cheer went through the group and Miranda was holding her son and husband with tears of happiness trailing down her check, but a small voice broke through their cheer.

"What about Sophia?" Carol asked. She was sitting with her legs dangling over the edge of the brace, still on watch.

Molly bit her lip when Rick and the unknown woman shared a look. It was not something that inspired her to believe there was hope. They all watched as Rick walked over and knelt down on one knee beside the worried mother. His hands fidgeting before coming to rest, crossed over each other on top of his bent knee.

"Carol," he said softly, though he words carried through the silence as if he were shouting. "Eliza, she told us that Sophia was bitten trying to protect her. We didn't go find her; we thought you should be there with us when we do. It's your right as her mother."

Molly felt tears prick her eyes as Carol broke down in sobs. Rick didn't try to touch her or comfort her, what could he say that would bring her daughter back? Amy walked over to Carol's other side, gave Rick a small nod and wrapped her arms around the grieving woman. Rick watched the two for a moment before getting back to his feet and joining the ragged circle they were still standing in.

Molly turned her attention to Rick, pulling her eyes from Amy and Carol. She couldn't help but notice that the woman that Rick had brought back with him was staring at her, or maybe she was staring at Keegan in her arms, it was hard to tell but no less uncomfortable. Even as she watched the woman, the short haired brunette seemed to come to a decision and walked toward her.

"Hi, I'm Maggie Greene. Sorry if I was freaking you out, I was looking at the baby. He's so small," the girl said with a friendly smile.

"It was a bit uncomfortable, but I had to hope you were focused on him and not me, because as flattering as that is, I don't really swing that way," Molly replied, trying to convey that she wasn't offended by the woman's staring.

Maggie laughed, "that's alright, neither do I. Oh, he is just the cutest thing ever," she praised.

Rick cleared his throat and pulled the women's attention to him again. "Sorry to break up the pow wow but we should be getting back to the farm. Carl, Eliza, and T-Dog are waiting for us, and we'll want to set up the tents before it gets dark. Maggie you know how to get there from here right?"

Maggie rolled her eyes and nodded, "of course I know how to get to my own house! I'm country, not stupid."

A few chuckles went around the survivors before they broke up to gather the supplies that had somehow accumulated on the brace. With all the blankets, pillows, lamps, and cans of food they hadn't gotten around to eating it seemed like their temporary home had been lived in for at least a week, not a couple days.

Molly handed Keegan off to Daryl before heading over to help Louis fold up a blanket and then hand him down onto the roof of the van so Morales could help him the rest of the way down. Rick and Glenn were already on the road, keeping watch so they weren't surprised and attacked while making such an unsteady shift from van roof to road to the waiting vehicles. She waited long enough to help Amy help Carol down onto the van before scooping Bear into her arms, sitting down on the edge of the brace and then slipping off to land loudly on her feet, denting the white metal encasing the van's interior. Once her feet her steady, she set the puppy down and turned back so that she could reach up and take Keegan carefully from Daryl so he could jump down himself. Dale was the last one down and he went straight to the RV to make sure it was okay.

**Okay that's all for now. I wanted to say that Molly's thoughts about Aaron were a coincidence with the question I asked a few chapters ago. When I was writing it just seemed like something she would think about. I know some people were betting on Carol flipping when she heard about Sophia, but that's not how I saw her character, she's pretty weak and 'scared' in my mind. I also know that there hasn't been a lot going on the last couple chapters, it's really just filler stuff until we get to the fun stuff.**

**Let's try for that 150 again guys. If I get them or more (I'd like 155) I might make the next chapter about Rick and Amy, I haven't written anything specific about them yet but your reviews might motivate me to do it. It would probably be kind of a flashback of when they started to notice each other. As of now the next chapter is just following through with what goes on with the story.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Sorry guys! I know this was supposed to be out Sunday or yesterday but I had car trouble all weekend and then my computer that just got fixed decided that being fixed wasn't what the cool laptops are doing nowadays, so it crashed again and now I need to get a new laptop. This chapter is the last of my pre-written stuff, so it might be a while before another update but I'll do my best. Keep reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following, but mostly please review! They really brighten my day and after the weekend I had I could really use something happy.**

**To newcomers that didn't see my note, I have started a collection of one-shots for Defying Gravity called (coincidentally) A Collection of Defying Gravity One Shots. Find it on my profile or through the search feature, and don't forget to follow so that you get updates for that too.**

**I thought I should clarify that I'm pretty much making up everyone's personal histories in this story. I haven't read the comics so I don't know what they say about people and I haven't had the time to try to research it. I've given a little background on several people and just want to say that none of that information is canon with the show or comic.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended****.**

**Chapter 27**

Everyone dispersed into the cars and Molly just stood there for a second so her companions didn't jostle the baby too much in their haste. She saw that they had left Carol's station wagon behind because the grey haired woman was getting into the RV with Amy. Their silhouettes moved to the back of the mobile home and she was so focused on watching their shadows dance on the window shades that she didn't notice Daryl come up to her until he nudged her arm gently with his elbow.

"Why ain't you gettin in a car woman?" he asked.

"I was distracted," she replied honestly, though a blush tinged her cheeks at having to be told to get a move on.

"Well git goin," he said, giving her a small push toward the car she'd salvaged from the pile up. She was happy to see that Glenn was sitting in the driver's seat waiting for her. She'd seen Rick get in Maggie's car, and the Morales family was naturally riding together, and there was no way Daryl was leaving his bike behind so she had been sure she would end up driving the car and taking care of Keegan all by herself.

She opened the passenger door and whistled for Bear, hoping he hadn't wandered off to far. The sound that came out of her mouth when his little head and forepaws popped up between the driver's and passenger's seats was something between a surprised squeak and a laugh, which made Glenn chuckle beside her.

"Sorry, should have told you he was here already. Just figured since you have the baby already you didn't need to deal with him too," Glenn explained.

Molly slid into her seat as smoothly as she could with a baby in her arms and smiled, "thanks Glenn, you're a really great guy."

Glenn nodded, "I know, just took a zombie outbreak to bring me out of my nerdy shell enough to talk to girls."

They pulled in line after the Morales car and Molly looked over at Glenn, "you mean you weren't good with the ladies before all this?"

Glenn let out a laugh, "no, no I wasn't. I'm still not. You and Amy are the only girls my age I've been able to have real conversations with since I hit puberty, and I think that's because as gorgeous as you both are, I'm not into either of you in that way. You're like my sisters, especially after everything we've been through." His face lost some of its happiness at the mention of sisters and Molly remembered that he had a few back in Michigan.

"Do you think your family is safe?" she asked quietly, letting her eyes focus on Keegan's drowsing face for a few seconds before looking at Glenn. She knew he wasn't very good at keeping secrets, but besides Daryl and Amy he was the easiest and most genuine person she'd talked to in a long time. They could have these deep conversations without feeling awkward about it later.

"I don't know. Of course I hope their safe, I hope it didn't hit them up there like it did down here, but the realistic part of me knows that even if they're alive they're in the same shit we're in. My sisters are Carl's age and my parents aren't much younger than Dale. They did the family thing kind of late in life and with all this going on and having to take care of two little girls, I try to stay optimistic but it doesn't usually last longer than a couple minutes, and that's when I let myself think about them at all. You can see how many walkers there are roaming now, the herds we've seen, they're ten or twenty times that in the smaller cities, and even bigger in places like Atlanta. How many of those people had people hoping they were alright? There could be someone out there right now putting down my walker mother or getting ripped into by my eleven year old sister. But on the other hand, my father could be doing the putting down; he could be keeping them alive just like you and Daryl are keeping that baby alive."

Glenn paused in his long rationalization before forging on again, not noticing the tears springing to Molly's eyes and slowly dripping down onto her shirt, "when this all started, it was mostly just luck if you made it long enough to find out what was going on. The first walker I saw was one of my regular customers at the pizza joint I delivered for. He had three boys and a wife at home with him that day. When I went to the door with the pizza and rang the bell I could hear the snarling and banging on the other side. I was freaked out but I had a pizza to deliver, so I went to their front window to see what the noise was and nearly shit my pants when Jeff threw himself against the glass, his eyes all yellow and his clothes bloody from where he'd been bitten and probably bitten others. As I stood there, unable to make my legs take me away, his oldest son and his wife joined him at the window, snarling and snapping their jaws at me, and I can't help but think that the younger two boys suffered a fate much worse than their other family members. It was just luck that I didn't open the door to investigate the strange sounds they were making. It was just their lack of luck and lack of information that led to their undead states. That's all it was, dumb luck. We might be skilled survivors now, but none of us except Daryl started out that way."

Molly's sobs were what brought Glenn out of his long winded trip down memory lane. He almost swerved off the road when he heard her cries and looked over at her sharply to see what was wrong.

"Oh shit Molly, I'm sorry!" he said, panicked.

The brunette shook her head, "no, it's alright," she managed through her tears. "It just…brings back memories that I haven't thought about since the quarry." This wasn't technically true, as she and Daryl had talked about her mother and Finn at the CDC the night before it blew up, but Glenn didn't need to know that. As far as she was concerned no one except Daryl would ever learn that she even had a son, let alone what had happened to him.

"Do you want to talk about it? I've heard that talking about your grief helps you overcome it," Glenn said quietly, still cutting his eyes over to her every couple seconds to see if she was still crying.

She didn't say anything at first; she needed to get herself together before she told him anything about her past. Finny was still a locked safe, but she could tell him about her mother, it was a good enough reason for her emotional breakdown. "The first walker I ever saw was my mother. I'd heard the strange reports on the radio at the daycare I worked at and I rushed home to make sure she was alright. She was in her living room staring at the wall away from me, her clothes all bloody and ragged like she'd been in a fight with a bear. When I came in and called to her, she turned around and started walking towards me. I remember screaming because she looked, well like a walker I guess, and it just riled her up. I didn't even have the strength to put her down, I just closed the door as I ran out and left her there like that," she sniffled. "I haven't been dealing with it very well because we've all been too busy for me to just sit around thinking about my dead mother."

"And you haven't talked about it with anyone else? You've been bottling it up since this all started?" Glenn asked.

Molly shook her head, "no, I told Daryl, and it helped for a while. But it's not something I think I'll be able to just get over. It's not like a goldfish dying or a movie star dying in a car crash. Letting it out with you has helped a little and I thank you for inadvertently making me cry. Glenn, I have to ask you not to share this with anyone else. It's not a secret; I just don't want my personal life making its way through camp like herpes in a whore house."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Glenn couldn't help the laughter that flew from his mouth at her last words. "I promise Molly, I won't tell anyone. I'm sorry about your mom too; I bet she was a great woman to have raised someone like you. Were you an only child?" he asked.

"Yeah, my mom wanted more kids but my dad didn't. When she finally convinced him to have one after me I was already ten and they were getting older. This wasn't a problem for my mom, and my dad was rarely home anyway so in the end he didn't even care if there was another baby in the house but when she didn't conceive she went to the doctor and found out that she had ovarian cysts. They decided that at her age it wasn't worth doing the surgery to remove them because sometimes older women can't bounce back from it anyway. But I think she was happy just having me there, you know I lived at home until my junior year of college."

They were pulling through a gated driveway and coming to a stop so Rick could jump in the back seat so Glenn didn't get a chance to reply but he gave her a sympathetic smile.

"How's the baby been? Kinda missed his little baby sounds while I was away," Rick said from the back seat where Bear was attacking the man's face with his tongue.

"He's just about the most well behaved baby we could have hoped for with walkers wandering around," Molly replied, forcing the stuffy tearful tone from her voice. "Kind of makes you wonder what his mom was like, since Daryl can be so difficult."

Rick let out a chuckle and they fell into silence for a moment before he replied, "you're his mom Molly. Another woman may have given birth to him but you have taken care of him since he was a few weeks old. No one in this world or the old one would deny that you have every right to call yourself his mom, and I don't think Daryl would argue about it either."

"Thanks Rick," Molly replied, looking down at the sleeping baby and silently agreeing that she was and would always be his mother.

The caravan pulled to a stop in front of a big white farm house and Molly smiled at Rick as he opened the door for her.

Rick and Glenn immediately went to join the others gathered around the foot of the porch steps but Molly hung back to wait for Daryl. The redneck sauntered over leisurely after parking his motorcycle, took one look at her blotchy cheeks and frown deeply. "You been cryin?" he demanded.

"It's nothing. Glenn and I were talking about when all this started and some of the things he said triggered the tears. He doesn't know about Finn so he didn't know that some of his words hit me kind of hard," Molly explained after handing Keegan over to Daryl. Sometimes she felt like she hogged the baby to herself so she was working on getting Daryl more involved when he wasn't busy with keeping the group fed or safe. And he seemed to appreciate the effort because a small smile always came over his face when he looked down at his son in his arms. But this time he just took Keegan without looking at the boy, the frown still on his face.

"I'll kick his ass for makin you cry," Daryl promised.

Molly actually laughed before she could hold the sound in, which somehow just made it seem all the more sudden and loud, "no you won't Daryl. Honestly, I'm alright. We talked about my mom and I think it helped a little, so you just leave the poor guy alone."

"Daryl, Molly you wanna come join the rest of us?" Rick asked loudly but not unkindly. When the duo had joined the others Molly realized that T-Dog and Eliza was amongst them, Eliza's little arms hugging her mother's neck tightly. When the little girl saw her, Eliza let go of her mother and ran to hug Molly too.

"Alright guys, I spoke to Hershel before I came to find you and he agreed to let us stay here for a few days to recuperate and to find Sophia. I thought we could set up the tents under these trees so we're shaded and have access to water close by," Rick suggested. "We'll do introductions momentarily; Patricia says that Hershel and Jimmy went to patch a fence on the edge of the property."

Everyone nodded agreement, met Patricia and Beth, and then backtracked to the vehicles to begin pulling out tents and other supplies. Before she started, Molly grabbed the pouch for Keegan and put it on before taking the baby back from Daryl and slipping him inside. She wouldn't be able to do much bending over to set up tents but she could shuttle supplies from the vehicles to the right tent site.

They had only just finished putting up the tents when an old man with white hair and a younger boy came around the side of the stables. Molly watched a frown appear on the man's face but he quickly schooled his features into a mask of indifference.

"Oh, here he is, guys, come meet our host," Rick said, coming out of his and Carl's tent after unzipping the window flaps to let some air in.

Daryl gave up on his mission to get his and Keegan's belongings set up in his tent and got to his feet with a huff, brushing his hands off on the front of his pants before leading Molly over. Despite the fact that the pouch was meant to free her hands while preserving her back, Molly could feel the muscles at the base of her spine complaining at all the awkward activity she'd been doing while unpacking. She had one hand sitting protectively on Keegan's back through the material of the pouch and the other trying to massage the knots out of her muscles.

Rick was only just beginning the introductions when Daryl seemed to realize she was uncomfortable, because he shifted a little so he was behind her and began rubbing his thumbs into her knotted flesh, applying pressure but not hurting her. His thoughtfulness only helped while he was doing it though, as soon as Rick came to them for introductions and he stopped rubbing the pain came back just as strong as it was before.

"And this is Molly, Daryl, and his son Keegan," Rick introduced. "This is Hershel Greene and Jimmy."

"Thank you for letting us stay here Mr. Greene," Molly said softly. "It will be nice to be able to catch a breath, even for a couple days."

Hershel looked over Daryl first, and then his eyes shifted to her and the bundle strapped to her chest. "You're welcome young lady. How old is the baby?"

"Bout three months," Daryl replied gruffly. "Hard to tell nowadays."

Hershel nodded, "I'd be glad to check him over if you'd like, once you're all settled in. Babies are resilient, but they are still susceptible to things that adults aren't bothered by. It's important that you know how he's developing and that he's as healthy as he can be."

Daryl looked to Molly for her thoughts. He'd had little objection when Jenner had wanted to look at his son, but the man had been a certified doctor in a professional-ish setting. This old man looked like any other farmer in Georgia and Daryl didn't have enough experience to make this decision alone. When Molly shrugged and nodded affirmation, Daryl looked back at Hershel. "We'll bring him to the house once we put everything away."

An awkward silence followed the conversation before everyone just went back to what they were doing. Molly and Daryl wandered back over to the tent he'd been working on and he crawled back inside to finish what he'd been doing. Once he was done, he came back to the entrance and looked up at her from his knees, "where's your stuff at?" he asked.

"Over there," Molly replied, gesturing to the back of the Hyundai. "I was going to set up my stuff once you were done and could take Keegan."

Daryl frowned, "you ain't sleeping in a tent all alone on some strange guy's farm. Go git your stuff and bring it here. You're gunna stay with Keegan and me."

"Are you sure Daryl? We haven't had that talk yet, I don't want to mess it up before it even starts," Molly said uncertainly even while her stomach fluttered knowing that Daryl wanted her to essentially move in with him. These tents were the closest thing they had to homes right now, and it was different than them sleeping beside each other out in the open or in one of the vehicles, this felt more permanent.

"Course I'm sure woman! I'd feel better knowin you're right here beside me instead of in a tent all alone where anything could happen to you. Besides, Keegan would want you here with us, and it's pretty clear that the kid gets whatever he wants."

Molly smiled, "alright, I guess I'll stay with you guys. I'll sort my stuff out later, and we'll go up to the house so Hershel can look at Keegan." She moved to grab her bags but Daryl moved even faster than she could, springing to his feet and coming back with her stuff before she even really knew what'd happened. She couldn't help the feeling of contentedness and hope that spread through her body just knowing what she wasn't alone in the world anymore.


	28. Chapter 28

**Been a while and because of that, this chapter had not been edited. I don't know what mistakes I made but feel free to get on my case if it was something huge and worth being upset about. I noticed that I've kind of been straying a bit more from Daryl's character than I'd originally planned so I'm going to try to ease him back closer to his 'show nature' but it might take a few chapters since he's not always the focal point. Unless you don't want him to go back to his semi-jackass personality, in that case let me know.**

**Also! There's a new chapter of A Collection of Defying Gravity One Shots up in case you're interested! This one is a Daryl/April one!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended****.**

**Chapter 28**

Once Daryl had deposited Molly's bags in their tent, he took Keegan from Molly to give her a break. He'd seen how she walked and held herself, clearly trying to alleviate some discomfort in her back, and it was the least he could do to take his own kid for a while. He didn't care what she said, he knew he'd been slipping in his parental duties and silently promised them both that he'd get more active in raising his son.

No doubt Merle would be calling him every foul name invented, and would even be inventing his own, if he saw the way his younger brother was acting toward a baby and a woman he barely knew. Merle had always been a firm believer that children should be kept silent and out of sight and that men should never have to interact with them. He also believed that women had two jobs in life, being a housekeeper/cook and serving a man in the bedroom, or wherever they happened to be in Merle's case.

Daryl had never been the sexist his brother was, although he did think that there were certain things a woman should do exclusively, and some things only a man should do. But he didn't see that as sexist, he saw it as each gender having certain skill sets and that those skills allowed for more efficiency in certain jobs. Either way he wasn't going to let his brother's narrow-mindedness back into his own mind to poison things between him and Molly and Keegan. He would be his own man and do things the way he thought they should be done.

He held the door open for Molly when they got to the house and came to a stop behind her in the front entry-way. Neither of them had been inside the house yet, hell it'd been a while since they'd been in _any_ house that people were living in, so they stood there awkwardly until Keegan started crying and squirming. Daryl could feel himself beginning to panic a little as the baby struggled in his arms. Molly had taken such good care of Keegan since Atlanta that it was unusual for him to cry and Daryl hadn't really had to deal with Keegan's crying since before Molly'd taken over his care full time.

There was no doubt in his mind that if Molly had been holding the baby he wouldn't even have started crying, that was how well she knew his son's habits and tells. He could see that she wanted to intervene, was holding herself back from doing it, but when she made no move to do anything he realized that she was going to let him handle it, let him get back in tune with his son. He'd been trying to calm the baby for several minutes and had just determined that he needed to be changed when Hershel came around the corner to investigate the noise.

"Ah, there's the baby. It's been so long since there's been a baby in this house I almost thought I'd gone back in time to when Beth was a baby still," he said with a small smile. "If you bring him into the guest room you can change him and I can do the examination."

When Daryl still hesitated to follow the man who'd already started walking Molly chuckled, took his free hand, and tugged him into motion. As they walked through the house Daryl could see Patricia and Beth in the kitchen and looked away when they looked up at him. The room Hershel led them to was small, with only a twin sized bed, an armchair, and one dresser, but it was clear that it was also something of a storage space for some of the old man's medical supplies.

Once Hershel started getting things ready for the exam, Molly sank down into the chair, pulling her legs up sideways underneath her and crossed her arms, looking up at Daryl expectantly. He'd found himself watching her movements as she got settled and somehow he'd been able to block out the baby's cries. But when she gave him that look, that look that said 'why are you just standing there instead of taking care of your son, don't make me hit you' he snapped into the present and set to work on Keegan's diaper immediately.

Hershel was already waiting for the baby when Daryl finished. He'd grabbed one of the wooden chairs from the dining room table so he could sit down with the baby on the bed to do the examination. Daryl sat on the bed beside his son, his eyes flickering between the boy and the old man as the process continued. His hand clenched when Keegan let out a whimper as the stethoscope was placed against his chest.

"It's alright Daryl," Molly said, a smile in her voice and on her face. "He only made that sound because the stethoscope was cold, Hershel isn't hurting him."

Molly had much more experience with doctor visits than he did. He could only remember going to the hospital four times in his entire life, and he'd never had to deal with a baby doctor. Keegan hadn't even been born in a hospital. So he nodded compliantly and continued to watch the doctor prod his son.

"He seems completely healthy, all things considered. No signs of rattling in his chest, so no pneumonia or other illnesses of that nature. No fever, no indication of flu or a cold. I'd need the right equipment to do allergy tests or tests for diabetes and other things like that but at this point I'd say he's as fit as a fiddle. Are you still breastfeeding?" Hershel directed this question to Molly, whose eyes widened a bit in surprise and it took her a couple tries to even formulate words.

"Oh, no. Um, I'm not his biological mother," Molly replied quietly. "I thought you knew, otherwise I definitely would have told you. He's been living on powdered formula since he was…two weeks old?" she said, looking to Daryl for clarification on the time frame.

Daryl nodded, "yeah. His mom, she died bout two weeks after Keegan was born, but she was breastfeedin up until then. We been collectin formula ever since, know he's gunna be on the stuff for a long while still. But we don't ever give him anything that's been opened or broken, Molly said it probably ain't no good for him."

"I'm sorry for your loss Daryl, and for the misunderstanding Molly. Now that I think of it, Rick did mention your situation the other day, it must have slipped my mind when confronted with the sight of you. Few women are as at home with someone else's baby as you are."

Molly and Daryl exchanged a look before she spoke again, "well I used to work at a daycare, we had babies there sometimes. And I've been Keegan's primary caregiver for about two months, we're comfortable with each other. It helps that Daryl and I are…" here she stopped again, struggling to find a word for them, "together and I feel like Keegan's mom more often than not."

The old white haired man considered them both with discerning eyes before nodding, "well whatever you're doing, keep it up. You couldn't ask for a healthier baby given the circumstances."

Daryl nodded his thanks and picked Keegan up off the bed as Hershel left the room. The baby had seemed completely content to lay there playing with his feet and looking up at the people talking around them but he started squirming again in Daryl's arms. Molly bit her lip and looked down at her hands. She could tell that Keegan was unhappy with Daryl and she knew it had to do more with unfamiliarity than real unhappiness. She was conflicted on whether to come to his rescue or to let him duke it out with the child. Finally she stood up from the armchair and walked slowly to Daryl's side, trying to stall and give Daryl a chance to get things under control.

"You want me to take him?" she asked, setting her hand gently on the fussing baby's stomach and rubbing back and forth soothingly.

"No, but you're gunna need to. I'm sure Rick's got somethin planned for this afternoon and will need my help. And if he doesn't got a plan I still need to go out quick and see if I can find some meat for dinner."

Molly nodded in agreement, "alright, well I'll take him back to the campsite and see if Miranda and Amy need any help with the rest of set up." Daryl handed the baby to her and he almost immediately calmed down, knowing he was back in familiar safe hands.

Daryl couldn't keep the dejected look off his face when his son settled in against Molly's chest and he almost winced when he realized that Molly'd seen the look.

"Don't take it personal Daryl. He just spends so much time with me that he's fussy in anyone else's hands. And you shouldn't be ashamed or guilty not spending a lot of time with him. You run yourself ragged keeping us safe and fed, without you Keegan might not even be here for you to hold. And I know that soon we'll find a safe-ish place to settle for a while and you'll have a lot more time to bond with him. He's still so young that he doesn't really know the difference."

As she spoke they meandered down the hallway toward the front door. He'd just pushed the screen door open for her when Amy ran up the steps toward them.

"Have you guys seen Carol?" she gasped out, clearly out of breath.

"No, we were just inside with Hershel while he examined Keegan. Why? Do you need her?" Molly asked, bouncing Keegan to keep him from fussing again.

"No, well not exactly. She's missing," Amy blurted out.

"What?" Daryl grumbled, shifting uncomfortably and crossing his arms. "It's a farm, not fuckin New York City, how'd she go missin?"

"Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, Morales, and I were talking to Eliza about where she'd seen Sophia last. Maggie grabbed us some local maps so we were trying to pin point exactly where they'd separated and Carol came up halfway through. We took a break after that because Rick wanted to get Hershel's opinion on what we'd concluded was the barn she was holed up in and now we can't find her anywhere."

"I thought Rick said that Carol was going to go with when you went to get her?" Molly asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Sounds to me like you all were trying to hide what you'd found from her."

Amy shook her head, "no, no, it really was just coincidence that we stopped talking then."

Daryl snorted, "well ya'll stopped talkin when she showed up and it musta seemed like you were hidin somethin from her. I bet she thought you weren't gunna let her go get her daughter neither. Ya'll are stupid." His words were dismissive and he walked passed Amy down the steps toward where Rick, Glenn, and the Morales parents were talking in quiet tones.

Molly gave Amy a sympathetic smile before leading the way after Daryl. "We've searched the stables and the chicken coop but haven't made it down to the old barn down the way yet," Glenn was reporting to Rick when they walked up.

A dark chuckle brought all of their attention to Daryl, who was now leaning against an old oak tree nearby. "I swear you city people ain't got any smarts." When they all just stared at him, he rolled his eyes but didn't move. "Did you circle anything on that map of yours? Any of the places you thought her kid might be?" Rick nodded the affirmative but still didn't seem to understand the implications. "You know where the map is now?"

"She went after Sophia," Molly said horrified when they realized that the map was indeed missing. "We have to go after her!"

**So you won't find out what happens with Carol and Sophia until at least chapter 30, maybe longer depending on how much stuff I put in between. I've been struggling with these last few chapters because they're just filler in my mind and I want to get to the good stuff. Hopefully it'll get easier and come out quicker.**

**I don't know what to do about the barn at the farm. If Sophia doesn't come out (we don't know if she's in there or not) do I just skip over that part? Do I put someone else in there? If so who? No one else left or is missing. I suppose it wouldn't be horrible to just not have one of the group members in it if I decide to put that part in…I don't know, any suggestions would be appreciated immensely! **

**Review with ideas, complaints, praise, anything! I love the feedback!**


	29. Chapter 29

**So it's a little late and a little short, but better late and short than never at all. Not much happens in this chapter, and the Carol/Sophia scene seems to keep getting pushed back but hopefully next chapter or the one after will get back to them. **

**I don't know when the next one shot will be for the collection, but I'm considering doing a Molly/Aaron or maybe even a Shane/Lori? I haven't decided but watch for it soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended****.**

**Chapter 29**

Everyone immediately went into a flurry of activity trying to get ready to go to, everyone except Molly and Miranda. Molly was not taking Keegan out into the woods after a distraught mother, and Miranda refused to leave her children alone again after what they'd just gone through. Plus someone needed to be there to take care of Carl if he needed something. The pre-teen was getting better despite having been shot only days before, but he was still weak and it would be better if someone from their group was there with him.

Rick ran to find Hershel so he could get directions to the barn Sophia might be at and came back almost right away with Jimmy in tow.

"Jimmy is going to show us the way to the barn, he says it used to be a big hang out for teenagers so he's been there before. Come on, we aren't far behind her but she could still get there before us, let's not make her go through this alone," he commanded, not even giving the others a chance to say if they were ready or not. Luckily, while he'd been gone looking for directions, everyone else had been grabbing their weapons and a couple bottles of water for the trip and were all ready to follow their leader into the woods again.

Daryl hesitated only a second to brush his hand over the top of Keegan's head, look into Molly's eyes, and return the nod she gave him before he ran off after the rest of their retreating survivors. Molly stood there for a little while until they'd officially disappeared into the darkness of the forest, then turned around to see Miranda sitting in a lawn chair watching her children play in the grass with Bear. It'd been such a busy day that Molly was ashamed to admit that she'd forgotten all about her puppy. But it was clear that he hadn't suffered in her absence because he was jumping around with the kids, letting out little yips of excitement that were mirrored by the children's laughter and squeals of surprise whenever the dog jumped up and knocked them over.

Molly smiled seeing these young people so happy and at peace, even if it was just for a few days, and wandered over to sit down in the chair closest to her friend. After they'd sat in a companionable silence for a while, Molly focused on Keegan's sleeping face and Miranda busy at work mending one of Louis's shirts, Molly spoke, "do you think we should start dinner soon? We have no idea when the others will get back."

Miranda's fingers stopped and she looked up, pushing hair out of her face with a sigh of exasperation. Her eyes found her children immediately, Molly'd noticed that since Eliza got lost the young mother's eyes went to her kids almost as often as they were on other things, always making sure they were still in sight. "I'm not sure. If we wait and they come back soon they'll have to wait even longer, but if we make it now and they don't come back until late it will get cold and maybe be bad by the time they get here. I think we should get the kids fed at least, Keegan will be up again soon I'm sure," she said with a smirk, reminiscing about when her own children had been babies, "and he'll be hungry. And I'm sure Eliza and Louis will be hungry after their afternoon of romping with that adorable but energetic animal of yours."

Molly laughed quietly, trying not to jostle the baby in her arms. "I think they'll all sleep very well tonight. I'm going to run up to the house and ask Maggie for some wood to make a fire. I don't want to take their winter supply but I'm sure the guys can replace it before we leave. Can you take him for a little while? When Eliza and Louis come over you can lay him down on a blanket with them if you want."

Miranda set aside the shirt, needle, and thread she'd been working with and held out her arms eagerly for the baby. Daryl had calmed down much more since that first day at the quarry, but he still didn't like when anyone except him or Molly held the baby, and it had been so long since she'd held a baby. She bounced and shushed the baby when he fussed a little at being moved from Molly's comfortable arms and nodded to let her know everything was alright.

The farmhouse was quiet, like it had been when she and Daryl had gone in for Keegan's exam, but noise from the kitchen finally filtered through the house and she headed there first to see if Maggie was there. Of course, Hershel was the owner and ultimate decision maker of this family group, but Molly was sure he was much busier with important things and some wood for a fire wasn't a big deal right?

Patricia was in the process of straining what looked like a batch of noodles when Molly knocked on the wooden trim that outlined the entryway of the kitchen. "Oh hi Molly," she said with a smile. Rick had told them all about Otis and she knew that he'd been Patricia's husband, so she didn't know if it was a good or bad sign that the woman was able to smile. Maybe it was her coping mechanism, or maybe she was just such a nice woman that could act normal enough to put others at ease even while grief stricken. "Can I help you with something?"

"Um, I was looking for Maggie but you might be able to help me too. Miranda and I were wondering if we could borrow some wood for our campfire? The rest of the group is looking for Carol but the kids are going to be hungry soon and we've spent way too much time eating cold food out of cans. The kids deserve a rest and a nice hot meal after the last couple weeks."

Patricia dumped the strained noodles back into the pot and put it back on the stove where it'd come from. She turned to Molly and wiped some hair from her face with the back of her hand. "Nonsense, I talked to Hershel already and he said it was alright for me to make chicken alfredo for you guys, since you've been so busy today. We've got to stick together in these hard times," she explained.

Molly immediately objected, "oh no Patricia, you guys don't need to feed us. We're already inconveniencing you by taking up the yard with all our stuff, we can't take your food supplies too."

"It's already in motion Molly," Maggie said with a laugh, coming in with a plate holding a freshly killed, plucked, and dressed chicken. "If you don't let us feed you we'll have a whole bunch of leftovers that we won't possibly be able to eat before it goes bad. Therefore, you have no choice except to accept our invitation to dinner."

Any reply Molly was going to make was cut off by the arrival of two very loud children and a dog as they entered the house and made a bee-line for Molly. "Molly! Molly!" Louis exclaimed, almost running into her as his feet slid on the hardwood floors.

"What's up buddy?" she asked, squatting down so she was closer to the children's level and so she could rub Bear's exposed belly.

"We want Carl to come play with us," Louis explained. "Mom said that we had to ask you to ask the nice man if Carl can come out."

"I'll see what I can do guys but he might still be too weak to go out. Maggie, do you know where your dad is?"

The short haired brunette cocked her head as she thought, grabbing a long spaghetti noodle to chew on before she said uncertainly, "I think he's out brushing the horses. But you should check his office first before going out there."

The door to Hershel's office was like all the others in the farmhouse, old dark-stained oak with an ornate knob that was just a little too loose. But the sound echoes through to the inside when Molly knocked on it gently.

"Come in."

Molly pushed open the door slowly but not hesitantly to find Hershel at his desk, sitting in a nice leather chair leaning over some papers on the desk's flat surface.

"Ah, Molly, are you settling it alright?" the old man asked.

"Very nicely Mr. Greene. And I'd like to thank you profoundly for helping Carl, and giving us shelter and food, and most especially for making sure Keegan's development is on track. I wasn't exactly worried but it's nice to hear from an expert that we're raising him as well as we can. But that's not why I came. Eliza and Louis asked me to ask you if Carl could get out of bed and play with them. I told them that it might not be possible but it might do him good to be around other people."

Hershel considered for a few minutes before nodding, "he can get up, but no strenuous activity. Just walking or sitting on the porch or something easy like that. The wound was rather superficial but he did lose enough blood to make him weak, and we don't need him passing out or hurting himself even more."

The man's words were stern and it reminded Molly of when her own father would come home from work and order her and her mother to be aware of whatever new virus was going around at the time. It made her wonder if her father would have been able to prevent whatever had caused this walker outbreak. She knew he'd been one of the leading scientists for new and unknown pathogens, but no one actually knew if the walker 'virus' was actually a virus or something chemically introduced into the population or just some kind of rapid evolution.

"Are you alright Molly?" Hershel's voice broke through her thoughts and her head snapped up.

"Oh, yes. Sorry Hershel, I was thinking. You remind me a great deal of my father," she said with a small smile.

"Oh? Did he succumb to the sickness? My wife and step son fell sick a while ago."

Molly shook her head, "no, he died of lung cancer a couple years ago. My mother and….my mother caught the walker disease very early on though."

Hershel gave her a meaningful look and sat back a little in his chair. "You're mother, and your child?" he asked so quietly Molly almost didn't hear him.

**So Hershel knows that Molly had a baby. To me, Hershel seems more observant than your average bear, so he catches the little slips Molly makes and can piece it together….hope that seems realistic! Next chapter will pick up where this one left off.**

**Review and let me know what you think! And don't forget to check out my Collection of Defying Gravity One Shots that give a little more context and background of the characters!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Alright, I'm sorry if this is late! But you finally find out what's going on with Carol and Sophia! I did not do much editing on this, so sorry for mistakes! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended****.**

**CHAPTER 30**

Carol had clearly not been trying to hide her mad dash through the woods, Daryl decided. Either that or she was so incompetent that her attempts to hide her passing had failed miserably. He, naturally, took lead, following the broken twigs and mussed leaves that Carol had stirred up and he could hear all the others strung out behind him in a line. Rick was right behind him and Daryl could tell the man wanted him to hurry up and find the woman before she did something stupid. The former sheriff's attitude grated on Daryl. Carol might have made it an easy trail to follow but he still needed to find the signs as they went and he didn't see the other man doing much of anything except staring at him expectantly and looking around aimlessly.

The farm boy, Jimmy, was up there with them too and showing them the way to the abandoned barn, but they'd figured that a timid city woman like Carol could easily get lost even using a map for direction so in order to avoid yet another lost person they were trailing her as well.

"We going the right way Jimmy?" Rick asked quietly.

The young man nodded, "Pretty much, not a straight shot but looks kinda like she was trying to find a path of least resistance, you know avoiding the briars and stuff. It's not far, we wanna get there before her or before she goes in we're going to need to speed it up."

Rick nodded and gestured for the others to pick up the pace as they left Carol's trail and made directly for the abandoned barn. Not even twenty minutes later they broke out of the shadows of the trees into a clearing so overgrown that it was almost part of the surrounding forest. In the middle sat a dilapidated old barn with board so old and weather beaten that all the paint had chipped off and a grayness had permeated throughout the structure. Most of these boards were warped, some appeared bent almost in half and it was hard to comprehend how it was even standing as much as it was. Part of the roof was caved in, but from their angle it was impossible to tell if it had just sunk inward or if there was truly a hole into the building from above. Only one part had had windows but all of them were broken out on the side of the building the group was approaching from.

Two tall, scraggly oak trees had grown up outside the building but one was so close that it was rubbing the wood away from one of the corners of the barn. A seemingly impenetrable wall of briars and some other spiny bushy that Daryl couldn't quite make out had taken advantage of the sunlight the clearing could afford them and were now flourishing against the base of the building.

It was an eerie place, Daryl decided, and he'd spent his life in the dark, mysterious woods. As they made their way quietly across the overgrown space, Daryl kept his eyes peeled, not only for Carol but also for walkers, as this seemed like a prime spot for the nasty bastards to congregate. Daryl went first and almost right away he caught sight of footprints along the edge of the briar bushes. They were small, but there were two different sizes and he realized that they belonged to Sophia and Eliza. The girls had clearly found a path through the painful vegetation and Daryl found it a moment later, leading the way in between some of the plants and the barn wall.

"What are we doing?" Rick hissed from his side. Daryl looked back at him and caught sight of the others behind him. Clearly they all thought they should run in there blind, guns blazing, and he rolled his eyes at their stupidity.

"Tryin to get to that window to check it out! What if that barn is full of walkers?" Daryl demanded quietly. "We'd be overrun and chaotic and we don't need that shit. Just shut up and let me work."

Rick shut his mouth and waited with the others while Daryl moved to the window. Several jagged pieces of glass were still imbedded in the frame so he stayed mindful of them as he stretched up to glance inside the building.

The further up he stood to look inside the more the sounds of growling and moaning drifted out to him and he knew there was at least one walker inside the barn. As he stood to his full height, a high pitched cry of pain broke through the stillness of the clearing and Daryl looked around frantically through the window, trying to see who had cried out. Rick and the others ran up right behind him and he used an old rotting tree stump to boost himself up into the window, ignoring the feeling of glass slicing into his hands and legs as he went.

He landed inside on his feet and whipped his crossbow back in front of him, aiming it as he walked briskly into the darkness. It was around the corner of one of the stalls that he saw the cause of the commotion, and his heart skipped a beat at the sight.

Carol was kneeling on the ground in front of a small figure that was too obscured by the dark shadows for Daryl to make out. But he knew who it was and as he saw Carol, just sitting there letting her daughter gnaw on her arm like a dog on a bone, he was so appalled and shocked that he couldn't move except to lower his crossbow and stare. He felt Rick, T-Dog, and Glenn push passed him but made no move to help them when they slid a knife through the reanimated girl's head and all turned to Carol, trying to figure out how to save her.

But he knew there was no saving her. He knew because she'd been bitten, the marks went all the way up her arm from her wrist to her elbow. There was no way to save this stupid woman who was too sentimental to keep her shit together and not try to confront or save or hug her daughter that wanted to eat her. As Amy and Glenn started examining the wounds on Carol's arms and Rick, Jimmy, and T-Dog went about securing the barn and making sure there were no more walkers, Daryl sank down on a wilting, decomposing hay bale, set his crossbow between his legs and stared down at the ground.

He didn't know if Carol had been trying to commit suicide or if it had just happened that way, but the whole situation reminded him of April and he realized that he missed his best friend. And then he got angry and his hands started to shake.

********DEFYING GRAVITY********

Amy couldn't help the tears that gathered in her eyes as she helped Carol lay back so she and Glenn could assess the damage. She had no idea what Carol had been thinking, coming here alone and getting close enough to Sophia to let this happen. The older, short haired woman had not taken her eyes off her now dead again daughter until Amy place a hand on her cheek and made her look up.

"Carol," she said quietly, knowing that the tears in her eyes were affecting her voice as well. "What were you thinking? Why did you do this?"

"I had to see my daughter," Carol whispered back. "You were talking and even though you knew where she was none of you were going to get her. If we waited any longer she might have been gone and then lost again, I couldn't let that happen. Now we're back together and everything will be alright."

The tears won out and Amy made no move to stop them as they trailed down her dirty face. "Carol, Sophia is dead, she was a walker. Why did you let her bite you? Why didn't you stop her? Run? Anything?"

Carol stared up at Amy for a moment before speaking, "my daughter is dead because I didn't watch over her. My daughter is dead and I couldn't watch over her anymore. The only way for me to protect her, wherever she's gone now, is to join her. We all have to do what needs to be done Amy. You need to keep living because Andrea doesn't need you in the next life. But Sophia needs me, she's always needed me and I've always let her down, now is my chance to make it up to her. I'm too much of a coward to kill myself but I knew you would get here before I turned, or she would kill me before you got here. Don't be sad for us Amy, and tell the others not to be sad either, this is how it's meant to be."

"Are you fuckin kiddin me?" A loud, abrasive voice growled. Carol and Amy looked around at Daryl as he stormed toward them. "Killin yourself ain't ever the answer! And your little girl doesn't need you for shit now! She's dead! Because you are a shitty mother that didn't keep an eye on her! She's dead and you don't deserve to be with her anywhere she is! You should be cursed to livin out your days on this God forsaken earth just like the rest of us, dealin with the guilt of letting your kid die, letting it torment you until you go fuckin crazy. You don't deserve the easy way out!" Daryl was shouting now, and Rick and T-Dog were standing a few feet away, having come back when Daryl started yelling. They were all staring at him, and he was pacing now, his hands clenched and his jaws pressed together so hard it looked like his teeth might crack and fall out. But they were all intact when he stopped and glared at Carol, "I hope that if there's an afterlife, you and that little girl ain't ever find each other, because you'll just fuck that up for her too."

He didn't wait around to hear Amy gasp and the blond didn't know what to do. Carol had barely reacted to Daryl's brutal attack but Amy did see a few tears gather in the woman's eyes and slip silently down into her hair. Amy squeezed Carol's hand, unsure if the woman even wanted the support anymore. She could feel the fever starting already, it almost hurt to touch her, just like when Andrea had been bit, but she didn't leave.

"Rick?" Carol asked, emotion thick in her voice. "I know I have no right to ask….but I really don't want to be one of those things." Her feelings broke through then and quiet sobs wracked her body as Amy clutched her hand even more tightly, letting her know that she wasn't alone.

She knew why Carol had done this, truth be told, she'd been close to doing it herself after Andrea died. But a child was always different than a sibling, and Carol and Sophia had lived in an abusive, messed up life before this all happened, there had to have been damage to them psychologically after all the years of put downs and degrading.

Her eyes drifted from the sobbing woman to Rick, who'd walked closer, his hand on his gun and an anguished look on his face. She could tell he was conflicted, didn't know whether it was right or wrong to grant Carol's dying wish. Of course, in the old world assisted suicide was illegal in most states, and she didn't know Georgia's stand on it, but they didn't live in the old world, most of those rules didn't apply anymore. When his confused eyes met hers, as if seeking guidance, she nodded a little and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

She hugged Carol one last time and patted her hand before standing and backing away. Glenn and T-Dog said their goodbyes as well but neither of them had been very close to the woman. For a moment she thought about going to find Daryl to see if he was calmed down, Molly would be devastated if anything happened to him, but she decided that she should be there for Carol, Daryl was more than capable of taking care of himself. Amy closed her eyes against the sight of Rick's hand pulling his revolver from its holster, she wanted to close her ears to the sound of him cocking it, and she visibly flinched when the loud report of the gunshot blew through the confined space.

Amy opened her eyes. Everything seemed a bit hazy and she blinked a couple times, confused, before she realized that tears were obstructing her view. She sniffled a little and brought the back of her hand up to wipe away the liquid on her cheeks.

"We need to find something to carry Sophia back in. They deserve a proper burial," Rick said into the glaring silence. "I'll go find Daryl." He walked passed her, but paused long enough to run his fingers up her arm in what she assumed was a gesture of comfort. Amy nodded and headed off to look for some kind of cloth or anything that they could carry the girl back in. It amazed her that a day that had started out relatively alright had somehow ended in this tragedy, and she knew it might not be the last time it happened.

**Hopefully the break I put in when it switched the Amy's pov went through. This wasn't nearly as tearful and angsty as I was planning on it being, but this is what came out when I wrote…so if you thought it was too angsty it could have been worse, and if it wasn't angsty enough, I'm sorry! **

**Daryl has never really dealt with April's suicide and I brought it up in this chapter so that he might start working through it later. His anger at Carol is partly at April too. The things he says to Carol aren't the things he would have said to April, but the anger behind them is the same, and the hurtful way he says them would have been the same too. Hope this clears up any confusion people might feel about his behavior. Any more questions just ask and I'll be sure to answer them!**

**Also, I got a review for chapter 5 from someone who goes by **A Reader** but doesn't have an account or isn't using it who I would like to talk to about their review. If **A Reader** is still reading, is there a way to get in contact with you so I can ask a few questions? **

**Please review! Let me know how I'm doing or let me know what I'm doing wrong!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Not much to say this time! But here's chapter 31. It turned out a little different than I planned but I think it went alright considering… Sorry if there are mistakes, I didn't edit this at all.**

**Hopefully I can get another one shot up for the Collection sometime this week, I just don't know how it should be about…any suggestions are welcome and greatly appreciated!**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and alerted this story! When I started it I had no idea I would get such a great response and following.**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended****.**

**Chapter 31**

Molly stared at the old doctor wide eyed and open mouthed. "How, how did you know?" she whispered, gripped the back of the chair she was standing behind tightly in her hands.

"The way you act with that baby is not the way an amateur acts with a baby, not even one who comes into occasional contact with them at work. The way you take care of him is the way a mother takes care of her child. I know you and Daryl go about like you are the baby's mother but since you are not and you have only known them for a short time I concluded that you must have been a mother prior to your involvement with the two gentlemen in question." Hershel paused for a moment so she could process his words but forged ahead again rather quickly. "You are also a very easy person to read Ms. Sinclair. You have certain ways that you move your lips or your hands or you pause before you say things that gives away that you're hiding something. Considering the context of our conversations thus far it was easy for me to conclude that you are grieving for your child having fallen ill."

Molly had regained her bearings as he spoke about her 'tells' and frowned deeply at his last words. "I am not grieving that my son 'fell ill' because Finn did not just get sick Mr. Greene. My mother and a stranger I had never seen before ripped his body apart and ate him before I could save him."

A sick, strange feeling of satisfaction went through her seeing Hershel's poorly hidden look of revulsion as she revealed the fate of her son.

"I am sorry Molly," he said quietly in a placating voice that grated at her for some reason. "Losing a child like that must be devastating. I am lucky to have never felt that heartbreak."

The frown marring Molly's face deepened even further if it was possible, "how can you say that?" she demanded. "You just told me that your wife and son had acquired the walker sickness." She could see the confusion plain on the man's face and felt confusion fill her own body as she waited for a response.

"Yes, they are _sick_, and under quarantine, but once a cure is found they will be just fine!"

Sudden understanding took hold and Molly gaped at her host, astounded at what he was implying. No one she had met since her mother and son had died had ever thought these people could be saved. No one thought it was a simple illness that could be cured like small pox, it was a slow, painful, inevitable death followed by roaming, never ending hunger for flesh. To hear this old man who seemed so wise talking as if his family was going to come back from the dead as though nothing had happened terrified her at the same time as it made her want to break into hysterical laughter at his stupidity.

"Everything will be fine once those inflicted are cured. Life will return to the way it was and I will have my wife and stepson back. Maggie and Beth will be so happy."

You are a delusional old man! These people are not sick Hershel," Molly reprimanded, getting more upset and angry as she spoke. "These people are _dead_ and they come back to life to eat the flesh from your bones. There is no way to save them, no way to stop the change once a healthy person has been bitten. I'm not grieving for a sick child, I am grieving for a dead one, and so should you be. Your wife, your stepson, they will never be the same again! They _died_ of the fever, you had to have noticed that when you cared for them! You're a doctor for Christ's sake!"

"I'm sorry about your son but you have to realize that scares like this happen every couple years. Remember the hype they made about A.I.D.S.? This will blow out just like that did. There is nothing to indicate that this is not just like the other health scares we've had. I will continue to hold out for hope that my family will get better, and pray that your mother will as well."

"Don't waste your breath," she snarled before going to the door. "My mother died that day along with my son, and none of your 'hope' will change that. You are a fool Hershel and you're going to get your girls killed with this delusion."

She stormed from the room and out the back door, trying to avoid anyone until she could get control of herself. Her temper was usually pretty low key, but the old man's words about hope and a cure made her want to break things and punch that optimism in the face. This was not a world to be optimistic in, not about a cure and being saved anyway. The only hope they had now was that they could survive until the walkers decayed or some kind of government could eradicate them.

As she wandered in the fields behind the house, running her hands along the seed pods on the tall grass around her, she wondered if they would ever be safe again, if they would ever have a reason to hope for more, or if this was all their life would ever be.

"Molly?" a tentative voice asked behind her. She turned to Maggie and arched an eyebrow in silent question. "Dinner is done, the kids were wondering where you were and Miranda says that Keegan will be wanting you soon."

She nodded, took a few steps forward before stopped and looking at Maggie again. "Are you aware that your father believes your stepmom and brother can be cured of the walker illness?"

"Yes," the other brunette replied with an underlying tone in her voice that Molly could only call questioning.

"Do you realize how completely insane that is?" she asked, trying to push her anger away to have a civil, intelligent conversation with the other girl.

"They're just sick Molly. I don't know why he talked to you about it but I'm sure I have nothing new to add to whatever conversation you had on the topic."

"Maggie, were you there when the fever took them? Where you there when they came back and started trying to eat you? Is that the behavior of people who could possibly be saved? If you were there then you _know_ that the fever burning through them only dissipated when they died! That's what happens Maggie! Once you're bit you get a fever and your whole body feels like it's breaking into pieces, and then you die! You die and come back as a zombie. Your stepmother and stepbrother are never coming back. The sooner you and your family start to realize that, the sooner you can move on and start to protect yourselves from what's coming. You won't be protected here forever and you can't face the walker hoards still thinking they're just sick people."

She was tired of this ignorant family, tired of their stupid hope, so she walked passed the stunned girl and headed for the house. She hadn't meant to leave Miranda with all the kids, especially not Keegan, but her mood would have just made the baby upset and that's the last thing any of them needed.

Miranda, the kids including Carl, Patricia, and Beth were already waiting at the table for her. Keegan was propped up in Miranda's arms and waiting for her return. Miranda gave her an understanding smile, even though she didn't understand, before handing the baby off to Molly and cutting up some of Louis's longer alfredo noodles.

Maggie walked in a few minutes later and sat down beside her blonde younger sister but didn't speak throughout the whole meal. Molly wasn't sure if this was good or bad but hopefully it was a sign that she was thinking about what they'd talked about. Maybe she could convince her father of the futility of his hope.

The party that had gone after Carol still hadn't returned by the sun disappeared from the sky and Molly couldn't stop the worry from invading her thoughts as she, Miranda, and the children sat on the living room floor together waiting. Molly thought they were imposing too much on the Greene family but also knew that it was even more dangerous to be out after dark, especially with no one on watch and no one to protect them if something happened.

Finally, not long after sundown, the crunching of gravel and the sound of muffled voices came through the open window. Louis and Eliza were up in a flash and out the door to greet their father while Miranda, Molly, and Carl got up much more slowly. The returning search party was a somber group, a clear sign that something had gone wrong and Molly's eyes immediately searched for Daryl and then Amy. Both were there but neither looked alright, at least not to her eyes.

Amy was pale, even more so than the darkness should account for, and she was sticking very close to Rick, although no one else seemed focused on that. Faint tear streaks trailed down the blonde woman's face and Molly's forehead crinkled in consternation. Amy was a nice, sometimes sensitive girl, but she wasn't prone to crying, especially after she'd decided that she wasn't going to be weak anymore. Something pretty extreme must have happened for such a reaction.

Daryl, on the other hand, looked more pissed off than Molly had ever seen him. He hadn't even been this mad when Merle got left behind in Atlanta. He took one look behind him at the others trailing to the house behind him, gave them a glare to rival any she'd ever seen, and stomped up the steps toward her. He rubbed his hands on his pants trying to clean them off a little before he took Keegan from her arms without a word, cradling him as close to his own body as possible without smashing the baby's small frame.

"Is everything alright?" Molly whispered quietly to the silent, sullen man beside her.

Daryl shook his head and jerked his elbow to indicate that she should look in that direction. Her breath caught when she saw T-Dog and Jimmy each dragging an object covered in burlap sacks. Both were on the smallish side but one was markedly smaller than the other and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the smaller one was Sophia, and given Carol's lack of presence, the other must be the widow. "Oh my god," she said under her breath.

"I'm leavin this place tomorrow," Daryl said just loud enough for her to hear. "Me and Keegan, by tomorrow night we're gone."

**So we're finally getting to one of the parts I've been anticipating, but we still haven't had time for 'the talk'!**

**To those who think Molly has overreacted, her anger isn't just at Hershel and his family. She is hating herself because she should have the same hope as they do, but she can't. She also worries that she is wrong and that there will be a cure, some miracle, that will bring back those who turned, but Finn will never have that chance. Hard to explain…any further questions let me know!**

**Please review! The feedback makes my day!**


	32. Chapter 32

**This did not come out like I wanted it to. I'm going to have to start writing ahead of time, I think feeling like I'm on a self appointed deadline messes with my creative abilities and turns it into crap. Sorry if it sucks! Also, I completely forgot about Dale and Morales in the last chapter in the barn so just pretend that they were there, sorry again!**

**Hoping to get a Collection story out soon, haven't had an inspiring idea for it though, I'd really appreciate some ideas for a new one shot!**

**NO EDITING DONE ON THIS CHAPTER, SORRY FOR MISTAKES!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended****.**

**Chapter 32**

Daryl's words reeled around in her head like a film strip from an old black and white western, slightly disjointed, ever circling. She had no idea what had happened out in those woods, no idea what could have made him come to this rash, snap decision, but there was nothing that would stop her from getting him to tell her why he would endanger his son like that. They'd already talked about the dangers of being alone on the road with a baby all that time ago in Atlanta, he had to know it was a stupid idea.

"Daryl," she started, but he cut her off before she could finish.

"Don't wanna talk right now," he said shortly. "Just wanna hold my kid, eat some grub, and get the hell away from these people."

She opened her mouth to speak again but he walked away from her before she'd uttered the first syllable. Her eyes followed him as he walked down the porch steps, passed the gathered group of people, and off into the semi darkness toward their tent. Her own footsteps echoed on the stairs as she walked down them to stand beside Amy on the side not taken by Rick.

"Amy, what happened?" she asked into the silence.

"We found Carol, but it was too late. Sophia, she was still in the barn that Eliza told Rick about and Carol just….I don't know if it was supposed to go the way it did but Sophia bit her and Carol didn't do anything to stop her." Amy paused for a second and Molly felt goose bumps form on her arms at the image that came into her mind. "Rick put Sophia down, but there was nothing we could do for Carol. Daryl, he got really mad Molly. Madder than I've ever seen him."

"Patricia and the girls made dinner," she said softly, but she knew everyone could hear her. She hadn't seen the group this somber since the quarry, not even losing Lori and Shane had put them in such a mood. "It might be a little cold but it'll be edible. Carol and Sophia can wait until after you've all eaten."

Dale, T-Dog, Glenn, the Morales family, and Jimmy wandered up the steps immediately, but Rick and Amy hung around outside when they realized Molly wasn't moving toward the house either.

"Carl is up and he had dinner with Eliza and Louis, I wanted to let you know Rick. Hershel said he would have to take it very easy for a while though."

The former sheriff nodded, "thanks Molly, for holding down the fort with Miranda. I haven't talked to the rest of the group but I am contemplating asking Hershel if we can stay for a while, long enough for Carl to recover and for us to take a breather from the road. The kids need a break and we need a little time to not be looking over our shoulder all the time."

"All due respect Rick, but this is not the place to 'set up shop'. Daryl says he's leaving tomorrow with Keegan, and I will be going with him. I don't know what happened out there but whatever it was has really gotten to him. All I know is that even if he hadn't made this decision, I would be pushing for us to move on."

Rick and Amy exchanged a look of confusion and something that might have been fear or apprehension. "Why don't you want to stay here Molly? Did something happen?" Rick asked.

"I can't talk about it now, I have to figure out what's made Daryl so upset. You guys go get some food, I will tell you what's wrong in the morning Rick, just make sure you're around because Daryl is leaving by tomorrow night and after that I won't be able to tell you. Goodnight." She waited for them to nod and acknowledge her words before she headed for the tent she was to share with Daryl.

The camping area that their group had set up was all dark except for a small pile of glowing embers where she and Miranda had managed to make a fire, and the glow from a lamp inside Daryl's tent. She could just make out his shadow inside and bit her lip when she could see his movements were a mirror image of those she went through when she was changing Keegan's diaper. It always made her heart melt when he did things like that with the baby, because he was such a 'macho man' and no one would expect him to be feeding or changing a baby or snuggling him while he slept, and these were all things she'd seen Daryl do.

The tent flaps were partially unzipped and Molly's fingered fumbled with the little zipper for several minutes before she finally got it opened enough for her to slip through. Daryl was now sitting on his bedroll cross legged with Keegan in his lap. His eyes came up to meet hers as she settled onto her own sleeping bag across from him and pulled her knees up toward her chest. The silence between them was almost palpable and it took Molly several false starts before she could venture to speak.

"Daryl, what happened out there?"

"Said I don't wanna talk about it," he grumbled, clearly trying to ignore her question as he searched through one of their spare food bags for something to eat. It irked her that he hadn't waited long enough for her to tell him about dinner in the house but he was in such a mood that it wouldn't have mattered, he wouldn't have gone inside to eat with everyone. Her eyes caught and held on the can of beef ravioli that he finally pulled out and held in his hand.

"I think you need to talk about it Daryl. You're clearly upset and angry about whatever it was and you're making decisions about Keegan's future that are reckless and downright stupid. Please, talk to me, tell me what happened."

"Don't gotta tell you shit! You're just a glorified babysitter, don't you get that? What makes you think you can come and ask me anything? We ain't married, engaged, hell we ain't even sleepin together! Nothin I do has anythin to do with you! As for decisions I make about _my_ kid, they aint your damn business neither! You ain't his mother! His mother is dead! His mother killed herself because she was a selfish bitch who left us all alone!" He was shouting at her, his knuckles were stark white against the red label on the ravioli in his hand and his words cut into her like thousands of little knives.

She didn't speak, he just glared at her trying to get his breath back from his shouting, and suddenly Keegan's tiny voice broke the silence as he let out first a whimper, then a full blown cry. Everything inside Molly wanted to take the infant into her arms and comfort the both of them, but the glare still on Daryl's face stopped her from moving in their direction. His insanely blue eyes left her face and his own features smoothed fractionally as he undertook the task of calming his son.

Molly could feel the tears building in her eyes, felt the tightness in her throat threatening to cut off her air, but she forced the feeling away. She'd promised Amy that she wouldn't be a victim anymore, she wouldn't let this feeling of weakness and despair overtake her sense. Stealing herself against any more horrible things Daryl might say to her, she lowered her legs and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. As she watched this man care for his son she thought about his words. Clearly he was trying to hurt her and she knew him well enough to know that there were only two reasons he would do that. Either he truly wanted to cause her pain, which she doubted, or he himself was in so much pain that he was trying to share it with others.

And as she went through his words she realized what he'd said at the end. She realized that this was about April, about her suicide. Something in the woods had triggered anger at his late best friend and she knew that it was his pain that was making him react like this.

"Daryl Dixon, don't you ever speak to me like that again! I don't care what happened out there tonight that's turned you into such a colossal ass, I have bent over backwards to take care of your son, to make sure he's fed and changed and happy and _alive_ and I won't let you treat me like this. Now tell me what happened! I know something is making you hurt, making you think about and resent April for what she did to herself and I can't help you until you help me!"

Daryl refused to look at her for a good ten minutes, his eyes focused on the struggling baby in his arms and Molly was content to sit and stare at him, because even if he wasn't talking, it meant he wasn't kicking her out of his life either. Finally Daryl's gentle rocking quieted the fussy baby and his hands stilled again, his eyes finally coming back to look at her face.

"Carol let Sophia bite her, all up and down her arm. She got this stupid idea that since she was a shitty mom in life she could get a second chance in death, by 'feeding' her daughter and then following her into that great party in the sky. She had the balls to say that Sophia _needed_ her in the afterlife. Just wonder if that's how April was thinkin before she fuckin offed herself. It just made me mad, that these women could be so selfish. Keegan loves ya, everyone can tell, but April was his mom, she should be here helpin you take care of him, lovin him like a mother should. I told her…I told her that she didn't deserve to be with her kid, that she should have to walk the earth for ever dealin with what a shitty mom she was to let her kid end up like this." Daryl's voice was monotone, as if he was reciting from a dictionary or law book, not like he was talking about people they both had known, people they'd cared about. Maybe he'd burnt out all his anger and was in the downward spiral.

Molly didn't even know what to say, how could she comfort him when she hadn't known April, hadn't known the type of woman she was or why she'd done what she did. "Daryl, I understand your anger, in your reaction to what April did and what Carol said. I know that the reason you're so hurt by what April did is because you miss her and what you had together. You don't understand how she could leave you and the son you share like she was choosing a bag of chips at the supermarket." Daryl was focused intently on her words, as if hoping to glean some epiphany worthy information from what she said. Keegan was now sleeping soundly in his father's arms and Molly waited until he'd set the baby down in his own little nest of blankets between their sets before continuing. "I do know from what you've said that April was suffering from severe post partum depression, and she clearly thought that ending her own life was preferable to maybe hurting or even killing Keegan. Women with depression like that need to be on medication, it was really unlikely that you would be able to find the right medicine, let alone even know she needed any. Maybe it was for the best."

"It's never the best when a kid isn't with their mother," Daryl mumbled. He seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment before speaking again. "My ma died in our house while I was out playin with the neighbor kids. Burned the house down and took herself with it. I know what it's like to grow up without a mother."

Molly's breath hitched, there was the real root of all this anger and pain. She was out of her element yet again, both of her parents had lived into her adult years and they'd always been loving and supportive. It made her realize exactly how different her and Daryl's lives had been before the apocalypse. "I'm so sorry Daryl. And your father was a drunk right?"

He nodded, "yep, meanest bastard you'd ever meet, when he was home. Lucky that he was usually off on a bender with some junky woman."

"I know you think that Keegan needs April, and in a sense he does, but the difference between you and him is that you had no one who loved you unconditionally, no one to say it was okay, that it would be okay. Keegan has you, an amazing father that does everything humanly possible to take care of him every day. He might have been better off with two parents that loved him but at least he has one that loves him as much as two could."

Daryl's hand shot forward and grabbed hers so suddenly that she jumped. Her eyes travelled from their joined hands to his earnest, apologetic face, "he has got two parents that love him."

A single tear finally broke through Molly's defenses and ran down her cheek. Daryl's thumb caught it just before it dripped off her chin and his hand slid forward to cradle her head. She was about to speak when his lips came crashing down on hers and he was pushing her back onto her sleeping bag. Their lips became more insistent, their hands fumbling rapidly over the other's body and just as Daryl's hand slid up under her shirt and skimmed her bra Molly pulled back.

"Wait, we can't do this," she said breathlessly, looking up at him and hating herself for stopping them. She almost laughed at his quizzical look and couldn't help running her hand through his long unkempt hair dangling down toward her. "I need to know where this is going before I can commit to something physical like that. I don't think now is the time to get into it, but I would hate myself if we did this before I was ready."

"Now, is as good a time as any to get this 'talk' out of the way, been circlin in for days now," Daryl responded. "I care bout you Molly, more'n I've cared bout anyone since I was little. Ya make me feel like I'm worth somethin, like you trust me to keep you safe. And you're great with Keegan, he loves ya like he's known ya forever, which he almost has. Won't call you my girlfriend, Daryl Dixon don't do girlfriends. But whatever that is without the name attached is what we are. I'd be your man, and you'd be my woman. What say you?" he demanded, still laying partially on top of her and looking down at her.

Tears glistened in her eyes, not even Aaron's vows of love had made her feel so welcomed into another person's life. "I say that I don't need to be your girlfriend, being your 'woman' is just fine with me, as long as you're my man."

He gave her a grin that she could only describe as placating before swooping down to kiss her again. A series of languid, easy kisses followed before Daryl rolled to the side and situated himself behind her so he could wrap his arm around her waist and pull her close to him. Molly shifted a little so they were closer to Keegan, rubbed the baby's belly a few times and laid back against Daryl's heat.

"Are you still planning on leaving tomorrow?" she whispered.

"Can't stay here, not after Carol and Sophia, not after it's been tainted like that," Daryl explained.

"I'm coming with you," Molly said simply, "but can we wait until we know where we're going? I don't want to wander like we have been, I want a place that Keegan can call home, even for a little while. And we need to give the group a chance to get used to leaving so quickly."

Daryl considered her words. "Two days, then we leave. Ask the farmer if he knows of any places might be safe. Talk to the group, see if they wanna come with us or if they're gonna stay. Now get some sleep, gotta lot to do tomorrow to get ready," he whispered before kissing her exposed neck, pulling a blanket up over them and falling silent behind her.

It had started off as a rocky, crazy, grief-filled day, and has stayed that way up until a few minute ago, Molly decided. They'd lost two of their own, she'd learned that the family they were staying with was completely delusional, and Daryl had had a small meltdown that almost ended whatever they had going on between them, but they'd finally had that talk and Daryl seemed happier all things considered. Soon they would be gone from the crazy farm and maybe off to a place they could call their own, a place that might be safe enough to set up a home for a while. Molly could only hope.

**Longer than some of my other ones, it felt like 10,000 words when I was writing it, and I really hope you didn't hate it as much as I did, because it turned out way different than I planned. Molly was originally supposed to cry and run away after Daryl is mean to her but I thought that would be a little counterproductive. At least they had their talk (which also didn't turn out like I thought I'd write it). Anyway, please review and let me know how much you hate it! **


	33. Chapter 33

**Firstly, sorry this is a day late. Long weekend followed by a day of recuperating… Secondly, I reread the last chapter in my documents and noticed several spelling mistakes, of course when I went back to look at them again I couldn't find a single one…So if there have been mistakes in recent chapters I'm sorry! I'll try to do better!**

**I promise to get a Collection one shot out this week, I just really need to motivate myself to write it.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has read, alerted, and especially reviewed this story, it means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own The Walking Dead comic or TV show and do not make any profit from this story. This is purely for entertainment purposes, no copy-right infringement intended****.**

**Chapter 33**

A piercing shaft of sunlight broke through the screen window on the tent, bringing Molly unhappily out of her sleep. With a moan, she ran her hands over her face to rub the sleep away and maybe bring some life to her foggy mind. Opening her eyes, she sat up slowly to see the tent empty except for her and she frowned before grabbing a quick change of clothes and crawled sluggishly out into the sun. It had been a long time since she'd slept passed sunrise, Keegan was usually up with the sun, and as she looked around she realized it must be at least eight or nine o'clock.

"Morning sleepyhead," Amy teased from her lawn chair by the fire. Miranda was sitting beside her, patching yet another article of clothing that appeared to belong to her husband this time. The blonde woman was leaning forward in her chair with a long thick stick that she was using to continuously poke the fire, sending a cascade of sparks into the sky. The kettle they used for coffee and a pot filled with some kind of oatmeal or porridge was sitting on a makeshift grate above the flames.

"What time is it?" she asked hoarsely.

Amy smirked, handed her a bottle of water and replied, "a little after eight. Surprised you slept so long."

"It's been a long couple days," Molly explained, "do you know where Daryl is? And Keegan?"

"I saw them this morning when I came to start breakfast," Miranda said, not taking her eyes off her needlework. "Daryl had him, all wrapped up in a blanket, I'm not sure where they went though."

"Alright, thanks. Is that coffee done yet?"

The three women left from the original quarry group spent the next half hour drinking coffee and talking about the good old days, long before they'd ever met each other, long before they'd each lost people. When the oatmeal or porridge, Molly still couldn't tell which, was done she and Amy went around letting everyone know breakfast was on while Miranda began the process of ladling it out onto plates.

Molly had just finished telling Dale and T-Dog that the food was ready when Daryl and Rick walked toward her, the former cradling Keegan's bundled body in his arms. It was a bit nippy this morning, a clear sign that it would be fall soon enough, so the blanket was a good idea, but already Molly could feel the heat building and knew it would only be a matter of time before they shed the blanket from the baby and keep him in the shade to stay cool.

"Hey," she said, walking right up to Daryl, giving him a short peck on the lips and snaking the baby right of his hands while he struggled with how the PDA made him feel. She knew he wasn't that comfortable with letting everyone see him in 'intimate' moments but it wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last if she had anything to say about it.

"Hey, I was just tellin Rick that we're leavin by tomorrow night, come Hell or high water. An he told me you needed to talk to him bout somethin? Bout why we gotta leave?" he asked pointedly, ignoring the surprised, contemplative look Rick sent their way.

She smiled sheepishly, "we didn't get a chance to talk about it last night. I'd rather talk about it with the whole group, it kind of concerns all of us and more importantly, I'm starving."

Rick gave a snort of laughter and continued on toward the fire where everyone was gathered and already digging into their food. Daryl followed his progress with his eyes for a moment before looking down at Molly, "everythin alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, for now. But trust me when I say that I want to be gone from this place as much as you do. Thank you for letting me sleep in this morning you didn't have to."

Daryl looked down at his feet and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "sorta my way of sayin sorry, for the shit I said last night. I know it hurt ya, and I didn't mean none of it. Just… a bad day I guess."

Molly stared up at him for a second, completely taken by surprise that not only had Daryl done something sweet for her, but he'd also apologized for his words without any prompting. She smiled brightly at the thought before shifting Keegan to one arm and wrapping the other securely around Daryl's neck to bring him down for a kiss. An involuntary shiver when through her when his arms slid around her back to rest along the hem of her jeans, his fingers brushing against the exposed skin where her shirt rode up.

"Seriously?" a voice broke through their moment, pulling them apart. "You two are at it again?" Amy demanded with an evil smirk on her face. "Rick wants to have a meeting, so if you're done sucking face maybe you'd like to join us?"

Heat filled Molly's face and she knew she was blushing even though what she and Daryl were doing was nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. She turned to glare at her friend before grabbing Daryl's hand and leading them both back toward the fire. "Shut up," Molly hissed when Amy's smirk stayed firmly in place as they joined the others.

"Alright guys, I know we've had a rough time of it these last couple days," Rick started, looking around at each person in turn as he spoke, "but now we have a chance to breath and make some plans for a change. Most of you are unaware that Daryl and Molly are planning to leave the farm by tomorrow night and they've asked us to consider going with them. Even if we don't' go with them we need to decide what we are going to do, because Hershel may still ask us to leave."

"Why are you leaving?" Miranda demanded, looking right at Molly. "When we wanted to go to Alabama to find our family you convinced us to stay because there's safety in numbers. Now you're planning to do the same thing?"

Molly looked around at everyone and shifted uncomfortably when she realized they were all looking at her expectantly, waiting for a reason for this sudden decision. She took a deep breath and began, "I had a long talk with Hershel and Maggie yesterday. This family believes that the walkers are sick, not dead, simply ill. They think that there is a way to bring back those that have turned, to make things how they were before. This…they're delusional and if we stay here it will end up getting us killed. I won't stay here knowing that their stubborn unwillingness to see the truth could lead to endangering us."

The silence following her confession was absolute. No one spoke for several minutes, and then Rick began the questions, "why do you think this is a danger to us? Do you truly think that them holding onto the hope that there is a cure will hurt us?"

"His wife and step son were turned early on," Molly said. "He believes in this cure so much that he's quarantined them. He's keeping them alive somewhere Rick! He's letting them live, probably feeding them because of his stupid bleeding heart, and who's to say it's just his family? Why would he not 'quarantine' all the walkers that stumbled onto this farm? Say they've had twenty stragglers wander onto the property and they somehow got them all corralled and hidden away somewhere and the walkers somehow escaped. We don't know where they are, where they'd be coming from, how secure they are in this quarantined place. We wouldn't know they were coming. If they're close by they can hear us every time we talk or laugh or bang a stick on a pan, and you know that just makes them more frantic. Not to mention we don't actually know how many walkers they have captured. I won't stay here with so many variables unknown. I know it might not be reason enough for some of you, and I will be sad to leave you behind, but I won't risk Keegan's safety or my own because that old man is too stubborn to accept that his family is dead."

"Daryl, I know you didn't know about this, so what is motivating you to abandon this place that could be good for us?" Rick asked.

The hunter crossed his arms over his chest and glared around him as all attention turned now to him. "This place is poisoned. Carol, Sophia, they'll always be in our minds, hauntin us if we stay here, in the place they died. Move on, so do they. Won't ever be a happy, good place for me, better to just move on and forget. An hearin that this guy is bat shit crazy only makes me wanna leave sooner, no way me and my kid are stayin here."

"But where are you going to go?" Dale asked. "Are you just going to wander the roads like we've been doing for weeks hoping to find a place to hunker down?"

"We were going to ask Hershel if he knew of any places that might be safe enough to stay a while," Molly replied. "He should be happy to help, considering the fact that he wants us gone anyway. And if he doesn't want to help we'll take our chances out there. Better to be out there where we know the walkers are coming for us than here just waiting for it to happen. We are leaving by sundown tomorrow either way, all of you are welcome to come with us."

Miranda and Morales had been speaking quietly to each other since Molly had revealed the Greene family's secret and now they spoke up. "We're coming with you Molly," Miranda said. "You're right that there are too many things we don't know, and I can't have my kids playing on this farm not knowing if there are walkers in the next barn. Just let us know when we're leaving, we'll be ready."

T-Dog was the next to voice his decision to go with them and Molly smiled gratefully at him. She and Daryl had never really spent much time with him but he was a smart man, it probably hadn't taken much to convince him to go. No one else spoke though, and Molly couldn't say she was surprised.

Rick needed to feel like he'd explored all the options, which mean he would be talking to Hershel about this again later that day. And Amy was clearly infatuated with their leader and even if she wanted to go with them she would wait until she knew for sure what Rick was planning to do. Dale was Amy's self-appointed father figure and he wouldn't make a choice that Amy might feel conflicted about. Molly was only a little surprised by Glenn not saying anything. He was usually pretty opinionated but as she examined the Korean, she could see the conflict playing over his face and wondered what could be pulling him to stay on this farm.

"Alright, I'm going to speak to Hershel about all of this and see if we can work something out," Rick said. "For now, Morales you're on watch, Daryl we could use some meat for dinner. Miranda, Molly, would you mind terribly getting a start on laundry?"

Molly hid a sigh of frustration and nodded in compliance, they all had to do their parts after all. Laundry was definitely one of the 'parts' that fell exclusively to the women, and now they were down to three women to wash the clothes of five men, four children, and themselves, and Amy was gone half the time helping keep watch or other equally important things. Molly didn't resent her for it, she knew that the more people protecting them the safer they were, but she did resent the fact that laundry always fell to her and Miranda and Amy never really made the effort to help unless specifically asked. Well today would be one of those days, Molly vowed. There was no way she would let Amy off, especially without Carol to take her place.

After coaxing the blonde woman into helping gather clothes into the laundry baskets, Molly enlisted Glenn and T-Dog's help to carry it over to the water spigot. Daryl had helped her put Keegan into the carrying apparatus so she would be able to gather laundry and then hand it once Miranda was done rinsing after Amy washed it, but he was gone now, off in the woods looking for enough meat to feed all of them.

"Hey Eliza, Louis, can you keep an eye on Bear for me?" Molly asked the two children. She had to be the worst pet owner in the world because she had completely forgotten about the animal the night before, but she assumed he'd found a warm bed with the children because he didn't come looking for her. The kids didn't respond, just ran off to play, calling the puppy along after them.

"Molly?" Maggie's tentative voice said from behind her. She put one hand on Keegan's back to steady him as she turned to the other brunette and quirked an eyebrow at Maggie, Beth, and Patricia. "We were wondering if you needed help with the laundry? All of our daily chores are done until lunch prep so we don't really have anything else to do, and you guys look swamped."

"Oh thank god," Amy exclaimed, giving an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion. Her words seemed to break whatever tension had built between Molly and Maggie and the now larger laundry group went back to work.

"So Molly, are you and Daryl finally official?" Amy asked a little while later.

"Not that it's any of your business, yes we are, so don't get any ideas," Molly replied teasingly with a smile.

"Daryl? The one with the crossbow? He's your boyfriend?" Beth asked shyly.

"Well, not exactly. According to him, 'Daryl Dixon doesn't have girlfriends', but we're whatever the equivalent of that is. Using words like boyfriend and girlfriend seem wrong unless you're a teenager, especially in the same sentence that's referring to a man like Daryl," Molly said, letting herself laugh at the thought.

"So if he's not your boyfriend then what is he?" Miranda asked.

"He's…mine," Molly replied uncertainly. "He's my man and I'm his woman, as caveman as that sounds. But even if he didn't like labels, I could never call him my boyfriend."

Amy was frowning now and finally said, "you know Molly, I just realized that we don't know that much about you. I mean, you're in your early 20s, went to college, surely you had a serious boyfriend before all this? Where is he now?"

The mood sobered at those words and everyone looked at Molly. "Um, well yeah I did have a boyfriend in college, but we'd been broken up for at least a year before Armageddon. Something happened, a family thing, and he didn't want to support me so we broke up. I didn't really see him much in the time we were broke up though, just a couple times around campus or by chance at the store. We were really close, until I realized what kind of guy he was. My mother even thought he was going to ask me to marry him, and I was so naïve that I probably would have said yes."

"How did you meet him?" Beth asked, clearly taken in by all this girly gossip. Molly imagined that a girl in her teens like Beth was really missing being able to talk about things that girls normally did.

"Hmm, I think the day we met was Fall semester orientation weekend. I was completely lost looking for the building to sign up for my classes and I was reading my campus map while walking and ran right into him. He took me to the building I was looking for and even waited until I was done to walk me to wherever else I needed to go. He said that a girl like me shouldn't have to walk the campus alone and lost. I didn't see him again after that day until the first day of classes, when I realized that we had the same ancient history class and he was sitting two seats away from me. We became study buddies, project partners, eventually it just turned into something more personal. He was a great guy in the beginning."

"He sounds like it," Amy said, "so what happened?"

Molly tensed and she prayed that the other women couldn't tell how rigid her body had gone with the question. Frantic thoughts swirled in her head. She knew that eventually she would have to tell everyone about Finn and what had happened to him, but was this the time to do it? She didn't think so.

"That's….it was really personal and I don't really want to talk about it right now. Actually, I had a question for you Maggie," she said, hoping to change the subject. No one pushed for more information about her past, so she forged ahead with her question. "I was wondering if you knew of a place that might be safe to set up a home? We don't want to impose on you for too much longer but we'd really like to have a place to go. Do you know of a building that is relatively walker-proof or that can be made that way? A place not in a big town or too populated of an area?"

The brunette farm girl continued scrubbing the shirt she was washing for a few minutes while she thought and finally she seemed to have thought of a place worth mentioning. "Maybe! I went to community college before I left for a four year one, cheaper to get my gen eds done that way. The community college I went to was based about an hour from here, but they had a satellite location about twenty minutes from here. The building used to be an old high school but they built a new building and the college rented out the space. The closest town to the satellite building was maybe three hundred people, and the building itself wasn't even in town really, it was more in the country. It has windows but they were on the smaller side I think and could be boarded up. Also, a lot of colleges and schools have those all glass doors but this one had mostly steel doors with one small, long rectangle above the handles. It's worth a look, I can show you where it is," she said, finishing the shirt and rubbing her wet hands on her jeans to dry them.

"If Daryl gets back in time we'll try to go today," Molly answered, feeling hopeful that there might be a safe place right around the corner.

Maggie nodded. "Alright, let me know." There was an awkward silence after that. Molly had no idea what anyone else was thinking, especially Maggie, who she'd just yelled at the day before. She didn't want to talk about the walkers or the imaginary cure and clearly Maggie didn't either because they were both avoiding the subject like the plague.

They settled back into companionable silence broken periodically by more idle gossip until Patricia, Beth, and Maggie left to start lunch in the house and Amy, Molly, and Miranda finished hanging the clothes to dry and headed back to the main camp to get their own lunch going.

The men all wandered back to the fire as the food was being served onto plates but no one seemed especially appreciative of the meager meal of canned green beans mixed with canned tuna all thrown together and heated up. Molly didn't know what these people expected them to be able to do with the supplies they had. They weren't miracle workers and they could only work with what was brought back to them from runs. Most things that made food more edible, like cheese, milk, butter, these were all basically non-existent for them now without means to make them or keep them refrigerated.

Daryl was the last to arrive, and Molly was surprised he'd even made it back so soon, but he'd gotten lucky on the hunt if the stag he was dragging was any indication. He dropped the back legs of the animal and walked over to where Molly was sitting on a blanket with Keegan in between her legs chewing on his hands. Miranda handed him a portion as he passed and he immediately began to shovel the food into his mouth once he'd sunk down on the blanket beside her.

"Any trouble?" she asked, looking over at the dirty, sweaty man who'd just brought home the bacon, so to speak.

"Couple walkers, put em down no problem. Got lucky with the stag though, musta been bein chased by walkers or somethin cus he ran right out in front of me like he didn't know I was there."

"That's good, I'm glad you're safe. And thank you for bringing something back, people are getting tired of what Miranda and I can throw together. Carol was better at making things edible than we are."

Daryl scoffed, "fuck em, they'll eat what you give em if they're hungry. Can't be picky nowadays. And trouble here?"

"Nope, everything was fine. Just did laundry all day. Kind of starting to feel like the days before women's suffrage, back when we were domestic slaves that did all the work while the men sit on their asses."

A snort of laughter was Daryl's first response to her complaint, "yeah, I been noticin some of these guys could be helpin with the chores more. I'll talk to Rick about it if you want. Can't have you three women gettin worn out."

"I'll talk to him, he might be more receptive if it came from a woman. I do have some good news though. Maggie says there is a school building twenty minutes from here that might be safe to set up as a place to stay. I told her we would go look at it if you got back soon enough. After lunch?"

Daryl frowned at her, "you ain't comin with. I'll take Glenn and T-Dog, scope it out and come back."

"No!" Molly replied, feeling like a petulant child trying to get her way. "I need the experience Daryl. You might not always be there to protect me, I need to learn to do it for myself while you _are_ there to protect me. Maggie thinks it will be safe, so it shouldn't be a very dangerous run should it?"

"Fine, but you do exactly what I tell ya," Daryl growled unhappily after several minutes of internal debate.

"Okay, after lunch I'll go tell Maggie to get ready, and then we're out of there," Molly replied, both excited at the prospect of getting experience in combat and terrified at the prospect at the same time.

**I wasn't happy with this chapter either, seems like none of it is coming together in my head the right way anymore…This chapter wasn't edited either but from now on I will be proofreading before I upload. **

**Please, please review and let me know if this story is still going alright! **


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